The Next Generation
by Wandering Letters
Summary: Takes place in a modified New Century Zero setting. Class S is the ever elusive place all Zoid Battle Teams wish they could reach. A new team comes together with the hope of one day ascending to that prestigious rank. SYOC Story. Read for details. Rated T but can rise to an M depending on content choices.
1. Submission Guidelines And Roster

**(A/N): Hello everyone of the Zoids Fandom. Wandering Letters here with an idea that's probably been done numerous times but hey, I guess I'll just add some more fun to that mix. Yep, you guessed it, this is gonna be a SYOC story.**

 **I'll try to highlight how this one will be different because I'm gonna be mixing up the setting and other conditions a bit to make it a little more fun and I guess, a bit more emotional to write.**

* * *

 **Primary Setting**

 _So I had a lot of thinking to do about this and I thought the best setting to set a SYOC story would be a modified version of New Century Zero's setting. I will explain more about that below but the question you're probably going to ask right now is:_

 **Why this setting?**

 **My solemn answer is:**

 **The Zoid Teams And Battles**

 _I'm pretty sure that I wasn't the only one who always wanted to be a part of a Zoids Team when I was a kid and watching the series. And think about it, imagine that we're our own team of pilots with our own Zoids and we climb the rankings like how the Blitz Team did in the series?_

 _That sounds pretty cool to me. But now, here's a twist._

 _I'm gonna go on a limb and say that I'm gonna allow all Zoids to have an **Organoid** system. _

**Now you may ask:**

 _ **"Wandering Letters? What the hell are you smoking? That sounds broken and overpowered on certain Zoids!"**_

 _Hear me out when I explain why I say to add that:_

 **The Personalities**

 _I'm sure we all loved the moments between Bit and the Liger Zero and the bond they shared. Wouldn't it be pretty cool to have your character have a bond with his/her Zoid as well? One thing I absolutely enjoyed in New Century Zero was that some of the Zoids weren't just machines that were piloted and the Organoid System was what allowed us to see the bond between the Berserk Fury and Vega as well as the Liger Zero and Bit. So for that sole reason, I'm gonna allow the Organoid System to be a thing. This isn't just limited to our cast of the story, it means that every single Zoid they battle will also have an Organoid system. This once again, is to give the Zoids a personality of their own, rather than to make it overpowered._

 _Now obviously, there will be limitations set in place to prevent you from getting as overpowered as the Liger Zero or the Berserk Fury but the primary reason as I said is to allow relationships between pilots and Zoids._

 _Now I understand that it would make absolutely no sense to have this story run in tandem with the events of New Century Zero (because the Organoid System is supposed to be ridiculously rare) which is the reason why I am only taking the team and battle systems, as well as the actual physical setting. In this world, Organoids are commonplace, which means that pilots are normally the best when their bond with their respective Zoid is an exceptional one, as well as ensuring their Zoid is as well geared as it can possibly be and most importantly, the bond between the pilot and their teammates is strong._

 _This is where all the emotions come into play._

 _Now that does it for the setting, now it's time to get into some specifics as far as your submissions go:_

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 **OC Template**

 **Let's start with your pilot. You can get as detailed as you wish with this, but this just serves as a template to organize it.**

 **Name:** _Self explanatory_

 **Age:** _Self explanatory. I will not allow any pilots under the age of 18 for story purposes._

 **Gender:** _Self explanatory_

 **Personality:** _As with most SYOC stories, filling this section in will help the writer portray your character as accurately as possible so go crazy with this section till your heart's content. Key things I'd like to know are how they feel about Zoids, the battles they have to fight as pilots and most importantly, how well they get along with others. Considering they're gonna be spending the vast majority of the story with their team, you can imagine how important all of this is gonna be._

 **Appearance:** _Self explanatory. The more detail, the better so I can describe your character as accurately as I possibly can. Include casual clothing as well as pilot outfits for when they go into battles._

 **Preferred Zoid Type:** _Here's where things get fun. I will not be allowing you all to choose your own Zoid, at least for now because that comes a bit later. Right now, everyone's gonna start off with a starter Zoid to get the team started in one way or another so here, just go ahead and pick the type of Zoid your pilot has a particular liking for. If you're a fan of Zoids, you know how many different ones there are. Bear in mind, this is **TYPE** of Zoid, not specific models. Please select a type and do **not** specify a model._

 **History:** _What motivated your character to become a Zoid pilot? What drove them to search for a team of their own? Anything you'd like to mention about their past? Perhaps some family history or something unfortunate? Maybe your pilot is some spoiled rich kid who wants to get out of the house and live life on the edge? Get creative here because it adds substance to your character and makes them easier to relate to. Anything such as unresolved problems or inner demons can be mentioned here too._

 **Piloting Experience:** _Does your character have any previous piloting experience? If so, specify what they piloted in the past and rate their experience on the scale of:_

 **\- Beginner:** _They know how to pilot a Zoid in the most basic ways and are competent in fulfilling their role on the team. They are not by any means talented in any respect however._

 **\- Intermediate:** _They're decently skilled and are capable of some fancy moves. At this level of experience, your pilot will know the Zoid type well enough to feel comfortable piloting it._

 **\- Advanced:** _Your pilot is a great combatant, capable of executing feats of remarkable skill such as difficult shots and crazy dodging moves. At this level, your pilot is very comfortable in piloting this type of Zoid, to the point where they know this is **the** Zoid type that's meant for them and they show exceptional talent and control of the Zoid they pilot._

 **Talents/Skills:** _Does your pilot possess any skills apart from being a pilot? Perhaps they're good with tools and can fix machines? Maybe they're good at cooking or they're smooth talkers._

 ** _EDIT (11/13/2016): A team manager has been decided, so an additional section has been added to the profile._**

 ** _If you have not filled it out, please do so._**

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 **Attitude Towards Manager:** _When meeting Matilda Dae Kim, how does your character react to her? Do they instantly get along? Do they hate each other? Get specific._

* * *

 **That about wraps up the template for now. Depending on interest, I'll go ahead and add the rest of the sections at a later date but for now, this will be enough to get started. I'm aiming to have a total of four pilots with about two substitution pilots should any of the main four be injured or have to depart for a story related reason.**

* * *

 **EDIT (11/13/2016): A team manager has been selected out of a choice of five. All submissions will now be answering to this team manager. I have made alterations to the Pilot profile based on some criteria that needs to be met to ensure everything flows smoothly.**

 **Special thanks and congratulations to Cyberweasel89 for submitting the winning manager character**

 **Name:** _Matilda Dae Kim_

 **Age:** _27_

 **Gender:** _Female_

 **Personality:** _Matilda is quite bubbly, prone to giggling, smiling, and teasing others. She is high in empathy and tends to worry about and fuss over the well-being of her team. She likes to do things to keep other people's moods up like cooking their favorite meals or playing little pranks. Some of her teasing can cross the line and make others uncomfortable while her pranks can sometimes go too far._

 _Matilda rarely thinks about the consequences of her actions until after she's done them. Impulsive, she wears her heart on her sleeve. While she does smile and giggle a lot, she is not afraid to cry when distraught over her team's well-being or angrily scold her pilots for poorly-thought out and dangerous stunts. While she cares deeply about others, Matilda can get self-interested in the heat of the moment. She would be willing to restrict her team from doing things she finds too dangerous despite it being in their best interest or very beneficial to their goal._

 _Matilda also notably lacks modesty. Her parents raised her in a nudist household and while she understands that nudity isn't appropriate, she tends to not always understand what situations it's inappropriate in. While she keeps her total nudity to her own room or office, she is not above walking around in front of her team in just a towel and does not lock her door in case a member of her team might want to come into her room or office for advice or guidance. While Matilda is often cheerful, she secretly has a bit of an inferiority complex. She knows that her team is doing what she always wanted to do but couldn't and worries that she's not doing enough to help them._

 _To this end, she's practiced just about any minor skill to better help her team, including cooking and first aid. She also sees it her job to cheer her team up and bolster their confidence and to this end shows a distinct disregard for personal space. She's prone to hugging her team members even when she's not really dressed for cuddling._

 **Appearance:** _Matilda has vaguely Asian features stemming from her father. Her hair is dark brown and she grows it out to her shoulders in thick locks and bangs that partially cover her face. Her bangs can sometimes get in the way so she can be seen brushing or blowing them out of her eyes at times but doesn't want to get them cut. Her eyes are blue-gray but are usually covered by a pair of horn-framed spectacles perched atop her nose. She stands at 168cm tall with measurements 90-60-90 and E-cup breasts._

 _When expecting company Matilda prefers to dress like a manager might in a gray suit with a knee-length skirt and black heels, though parts her blouse and jacket to show cleavage and does not wear undergarments with it. Around the team's base during the day or during casual drives in their Hover Cargo, Matilda will instead opt for a simple camisole and boyshorts, adding flip-flops if she has to go outside. During most of the morning, night, or around the time of her baths, Matilda will wear only a towel. She prefers to wear nothing at all within the confines of her room and office._

 **Preferred Team Composition:** _Matilda is looking for a balanced team of long-range, melee, tanking, and support, with at least one being a flier for air support. She'd prefer the two reserve members have more versatile skills in order to replace any injured members when needed. Matilda knows that Zoid piloting is a male-oriented sport but with six members she's hoping for at **least** two girls, ideally three._

 **History:** _Matilda was born to Mary Flynn and Jin Dae Kim. Mary was a Zoid pilot while Jin was her manager during her days on a team. Mary's team managed to reach C-rank before she retired to have Matilda with her manager Jin. Matilda grew up on tales of Zoid fighting and often enjoyed watching the sport. Even without her parents' direct guidance she pored herself over anything to do with Zoids and became a walking encyclopedia of them at just age 12. Matilda hoped to follow in her mother's footsteps as a Zoid pilot but several health conditions prevented her from even getting past the training stage. With nearsightedness, astigmatism, asthma, hypoglycemia, irritable bowel syndrome, and insomnia-induced sleep deprivation, Matilda just wasn't fit for the high physical demand of a Zoid fighter pilot. She instead fell back on following in her father's footsteps as a manager. She took to gathering a team, though with how she fusses over them and cooks and cleans for them she's coming out more like their mother than their manager. Momager, perhaps?_

 **Piloting Experience:**

 **Command Wolf Training:** _Matilda had a few lessons piloting her mother's Zoid unit, a Command Wolf modified for long-range combat. However, the physical demands were too much for her with her weak constitution, so she was forced to give up on being a pilot. She knows how to pilot a Command Wolf, but can't physically do so (without causing severe pain and discomfort to herself)._

 **Hover Cargo Pilot:** _While Matilda does have her own property for her team to call home, they transport their Zoids to towns and matches with a highly modified Hover Cargo. Matilda drives it though she sometimes needs someone else to take over when she's troubled from sleep deprivation, indigestion, or low blood sugar. Matilda has modified it with some bunks, a latrine, and a small kitchenette, as well as homey decorations like potted plants, flowery curtains, and posters and pictures on the walls. Matilda wanted her team to be comfy during long road trips. The Hover Cargo was a refurbished hand me down, courtesy of her father._

 **Talents/Skills:**  
 **  
Cooking:** _Matilda is handy in the kitchen but doesn't have the skills to whip up a gourmet, restaurant-quality meal. She's more of a home cook skilled in family meals but she also whips up some good finger foods and knows how to deep-fry and jerk. She likes to take her team out to restaurants or order out for more high-quality meals on special occasions._  
 **  
Cleaning:** _Eager to find any way she can to be of use to her team, Matilda tends to clean around their home base and inside their Hover Cargo. She also does their laundry and dishes for them._  
 **  
First Aid:** _Matilda hates to see people get hurt, especially her own team, who she views as her own family. She keeps emergency first aid supplies both in the team's base and inside the Hover Cargo and knows how to dress wounds, apply stints, stitch lacerations, administer pain or sickness medication, and treat burns and frostbite._  
 **  
Extensive Zoid Knowledge:** _Matilda is a walking encyclopedia of Zoids and can usually name the type, model, and most visible modifications upon getting a good look at one. While she lacks the skills to repair them, she usually has enough knowledge to give a good second opinion when one of her team is fixing or tuning up their personal Zoid unit._  
 **  
Pranks:** _Matilda is surprisingly skilled in her pranks. The team usually has to watch their clothes when they take a bath since this girl seems oddly capable of taking and hiding them without being noticed. Imagine if she directed such skill and drive constructively._  
 **  
Sweet Tooth:** _Matilda has an incurable preference for sweet foods and this shows in her cooking. She tends to be a good baker of sweet confections and stockpiles sweet snacks. She can often be seen snacking on something sweet and sugary to keep her blood sugar up._  
 **  
Angering the Wrong People:** _With her tendency to act without thinking and her habit of being very protective and defensive of her team, Matilda has a habit of angering people she shouldn't, including officials in the Zoid battles and managers of opposing teams. It's both a gift and a curse._

 **Likes/Dislikes:**  
- **Likes:** _Cats, sweets, cooking, hugs, being naked, her curves, teasing, pranks, her team, Zoids_  
- **Dislikes:** _Clothes, undergarments, people who doubt her team, seeing others hurt, seeing others sad or crying, her team getting into dangerous situations she doesn't approve of_

 **Possessions:**

 **1 Custom Hover Cargo-** _The very same Hover Cargo that her mother used during her days as a Zoid Pilot. Matilda's father had it refurbished and heavily modified to his daughter's liking. This Hover Cargo is significantly larger than the standard one and is capable of housing a total of seven Zoids comfortably. It is also equipped with strong energy shields, a deployment ramp for Zoids and several laser cannons for self defense. It also has five small bedrooms and one larger bedroom which belongs to her in addition to two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a bridge and a Zoid Hangar. The hangar has enough space to allow up to two Zoids to be repaired or modified at a time. The deployment bay is used to house all Zoids not currently being worked on, which is what allows the Hover Cargo to carry so many Zoids. Matilda has made her own marks on the Hover Cargo, decorating it with homely items such as flowers, pots and paintings._

 **1 Customized Command Wolf AC Model-** _Given to her by her father, it is the very Command Wolf she was taught how to pilot when she was younger. Though she said she would never pilot it due to her fragile body, her father insisted that she keep it as a memento and as a spare Zoid should she ever come across a team willing to work with her. This Command Wolf is dark blue is color and carries a modified heavy chaingun. It is capable of supporting a railgun thanks to her father's tweaks and adjustments and also has heavy stabilizers, allowing it to perch on an elevated location and remain stationary for long range shooting. With the weapon on its back, it is capable of reaching 200 km/h with ease. Though she has had the Zoid for a long time without piloting it, she keeps it in great condition._

* * *

 **EDIT (11/22/2016)**

 **At this time, all main pilots and substitutes have been selected and are now listed below.**

 **If you're still interested in creating a character to appear in the story, perhaps as an opposing team or a villain, go ahead and follow these pilots as examples.**

 **I will allow only Zoids from _Chaotic Century_ to _New Century Zer_ o to be used (and within reason because some of those Zoids are just insanely overpowered) so if you do not know those Zoids by heart, the wiki page has them all there for you to see. **

**The following Zoids will not be allowed unless you are creating villains (who do not do Zoid battles, as these Zoids are banned from battles):**

 _Deathsaur  
Berserk Fury  
Liger Zero  
Death Stinger  
Ultrasaurus  
Shadow Fox (the one that Ballad uses in New Century Zero)_

* * *

 **Pilot Roster**

 **...**

 **Latest Edit: 11/23/2016**

 **This roster is now complete. Thank you to everyone for your interest!**

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 **Submitted By: The user has asked to remain anonymous, but special thanks to them regardless.**

 **Name:** _Wei Kennedy_

 **Age:** _22_

 **Gender:** _Male_

 **Personality:** _Wei is a rather withdrawn individual, mostly due in part to how his parents raised him to be the best of the best. Wei hasn't had much opportunity to develop habits and traits of his own due to living an extremely strict lifestyle and as such, seems almost robotic in nature. Because of this, Wei tends to appear as if he is uncaring or indifferent to everything around him when in reality, he is simply trying to figure everything out. Wei has unwavering courage and the capacity to stay calm and collected in just about any situation. He is normally friendly to those that approach him, though he absolutely cannot tolerate anyone who is cocky and overconfident as he believes any sort of confidence needs to be backed up with skill. He is very perceptive and calculating, often never making a move unless he has thought it over ten times or more. Apart from his almost cyborg like behavior, he has a soft spot for his older sister and mother though he despises his father. He is also shown capable of great kindness, as he never once abused his servants and usually made life easier for them by never making a mess or sometimes by helping them with the work. As such, he is liked by many, but not loved due to his blunt and quiet nature. Most notably, Wei gravitates towards those in need, a habit he developed by observing his older sister's exuberant kindness._

 **Appearance:** _Born to a British father and a Chinese mother. Wei has mostly Chinese facial features with the exception of his nose, which he gets from his mother. He has medium length black hair that he keeps spiked all the time and allows several bangs to hang over his face. He has dark green eyes and a skin tone a few shades lighter than cream. He stands at 5' 9" and weighs 135 lbs. He has an athletic build with a lot of muscle definition due to his active lifestyle. He normally wears a plain white t-shirt with a custom leather jacket made by his sister which is black in color but has a hand drawn picture of a tiger on its back. He never goes into a battle without it, as he considers it his good luck charm as well as a source of his courage. He couples this with dark blue denim jeans and white running shoes. When not battling, he can be seen wearing wife beaters and track pants with sneakers._

 **Preferred Zoid Type:** _Favors the Liger-Type. He also likes Cheetah-Types._

 **History:** _Wei is a member of the wealthy Kennedy family. His father, Arnold Kennedy is the CEO of a big Zoid manufacturer that builds Liger-Type Zoids. Though he wasn't allowed to pilot one until he was 15, he studied almost relentlessly to learn everything he could about Zoids. Though his mother, Seifei, supported his aspiration to become a pilot, she had no choice but to adhere to her husband's wishes and guide Wei more towards the path of inheriting the company. When Wei was 12 years old, he met his older sister, Jessica and discovered that she was a pilot on the relatively well known Ganger Team._

 _It was here that Wei would ignite his passion for Zoid piloting and once he was 15 years old, he begged his sister to train him. Despite her protests due to the fact that she knew how much her father hated the idea of him being a pilot, she accepted and Wei would become familiar with every model of Zoid his father's factory produced, especially the Blade Liger which he deemed to be his favorite type of Zoid. However, an accident during a Zoid Battle rendered his sister crippled. When Wei discovered that his father would not aid her in medical expenses, Wei decided it was time to leave and start a life of his own in order to support his now forcibly retired sister. In a final act of defiance, on his 20th birthday, Wei took one of the Shield Ligers his father had at their home and left to find his own path as a pilot. However, he never found a team to join and soon, his Shield Liger met its end at the hands of a gang of Sandshark Bandits._

 _Without a Zoid or a place to truly call home, Wei makes his living as a courier and now hopes to join a team who will accept him. His ultimate goal is to reach Class S, to prove to his father than Zoids aren't just tools to be sold, but are instead a way of life. He keeps a healthy relationship with his mother and sister but as a result of how cold his father was to his dreams as well as his sister, he **utterly** detests him. Though he refuses her help, his mother always sends him money if he isn't making enough from his job and calls him almost daily to ensure he's alright. He visits his sister whenever he can and has a very strong bond with her due to him looking up to her as a teacher._

 **Piloting Experience:**

 **Shield Liger:** _Beginner in combat. Intermediate in piloting. Used a Shield Liger when he left home and practiced with his sister in one when he was younger. No longer possesses the Zoid as it was destroyed._

 **Blade Liger:** _Intermediate. This was his favorite Zoid to pilot as a teenager and was commended by his sister, who is a Class B pilot that he has "significant potential"._

 **Lightning Saix:** _Beginner. This is what Wei uses in his Courier job and he does not own one of his own, though he knows how to pilot it well enough to travel great distances without a hassle. He does not make use of it's supersonic speed drive as it is very rough on his body._

 **Talents/Skills:**

 **Highly Adaptable Combatant:** _Wei has the ability to notice the smallest details in the environment and has been shown capable of predicting the moves of his opponents by looking at the movements of the Zoid. He has been shown capable of seeing Zoids from extreme distances away and can figure out strategies on the fly. In addition, he has a very balanced piloting skillset, allowing him to fill more than one role if the need arises. He is noted to be skilled at controlling Blade Ligers, which are among the most difficult Zoids to pilot as it normally has no ranged weapons and only melee weapons._

 **Great Accuracy:** _He is noted to be a good shot in manual targeting mode, normally choosing to use it instead of having the Organoid system do it for him. He was able to use a back-mounted railgun on the back of his Shield Liger to great effect during his battle against the gang that destroyed it, being able to take out a great number of them before losing._

 **Unwavering Will:** _Wei never gives up any battle until it becomes a danger to either himself or his teammates and most importantly, his Zoid. Because of his courage, he has no qualms throwing himself in the line of fire to protect a teammate and doesn't mind being in the frontlines if it means his teammates have an advantage. Wei is almost impossible to be intimidated. In fact, he's pretty scary himself when he's angry._

 **Liger Expertise:** _Because he was raised around a Liger Factory, Wei has extensive knowledge of the Zoid. This extends to all types of Ligers, especially the Shield and Blade Liger. He knows how to apply every part to the Zoid and understands its capabilities down to the smallest calculation. He also knows how to repair them to full condition if he has the tools to do so._

 **Experienced Martial Artist:** _Wei learned self-defense as part of his father's strict training regiment in preparation to take over the factory. As a result of this, Wei is a well-studied student of Chinese Martial Arts, notably in Wing Chun and Tai Chi. He is skilled enough to spar with black belts in his training sessions and he has been commended by his mother, who is a 9th decree black belt in Wing Chun as "superb". Despite being exceptional at martial arts, Wei doesn't like fighting and will only do so if he sees no other way of resolving a situation._

 **Attitude Towards Manager:** _Wei is initially in disbelief that Matilda would accept him considering the fact that he left his father and ran away from home but soon comes to accept her kindness. He's completely unfazed by her nudist nature and ignores her tendency to be immodest. His unflinching courage puts him at odds with Matilda, who worries about him as if he were her own son. He respects her however and knows about her parents reputation when they were a team together. He tries to advise her whenever he can about things he thinks the team can improve on and will obey her requests without question, even if they're things he does not want to do._

* * *

 **Submitted By: _Quake Shatterfist_**

 **Name:** _Madison Jane Griffiths_

 **Nicknames:** _Madi, MJ, Griff (more of a work pet name)_  
 **  
Age:** _21_  
 **  
Gender:** _Female_

 **Personality:** _Madison is an upbeat individual who just seems to go with the flow. She is extremely tomboyish and enjoys spending her time with Zoids be it working on the Zoid or repairing an salvaged weapon or just lazing about on the zoid itself. She has zero etiquette when it comes to being a proper lady hence why the people she worked with at her families workshop would call her Griff as a joke that she acts more like an guy than an actual girl._

 _Due to her upbringings Madison is an very hard and diligent worker, she seems to have an endless supply of energy when she puts her mind to it, being able to pull few all nighters without crashing out the day after. She loves Zoids and is a complete weapons nut, she loves seeing the top of the range weapons and tinkering with them to find out their capabilities._

 _Madison is extremely proud of her abilities and hates people how badmouth her childhood or family. Growing up in a poor family, she really hates people who just waste money or any valuable item. She is known to be pretty vocal when watching professional Zoid Battles over the holocast especially when the pilot users a poor match up weapons._

 _Most of her issues with people arise with they are the type that take everything for granted or have had everything just given to them. She has had to work extremely hard to get to the point where she is, so she tends to be annoyed with the ones that have an easy life being showered and pampered._

 _She does have issues with the whole femininity aspect since she acts more like a boy than anything. She believes that all the girly stuff like wearing cute clothing, makeup etc... doesn't suit her. She has sort of a complex when she sees a pretty girl and all the boys around just talking about that girl. She never had the luxury to be pampered like most girls do; all her clothes are pretty worn and well used, some being frayed, others covered in oil stains. Being called Griff at her workshop doesn't help the matter._

 _Her habits, when she is feeling down she normally sits on the top of her Zoid, looking at her silver locket. The photo inside is probably her happiest memory and also represents the turning point in her life. She spends her time just tinkering or hanging out at the salvage yards looking for projects and getting them at the cheapest price possible. When receiving her pay check she immediately splits it into 4 portions, 1 portion to put in her saving account, 1 portion for living expenses, 1 portion for to send back to her parents and the final portion to send on making more money through restoration of parts. She cares a lot about her family and the family business, she often just reminisces about the fun times she has had and often talks to the Zoid she is working on about those crazy shenanigans and pranks that would happen in the workshop._

 _Madison is pretty knowledgeable when it comes to Zoids, their weapons or just general trade. She does have a silver tongue when it comes to bartering and it is not wise to try rip her off with a faulty product. She is a happiest when shopping for Zoid parts, working on Zoids or just messing around with her family or team. She is also very proud of her skills and her knowledge._

 _Madison does feel embarrassed when she is out of her comfort zone which are generally experiencing semi-aggressive romantic advances, being forced to doll up and wear a dress and knowing there are people watching her sing and dance while working on something._

 **Appearance:** _Madison has long wavy golden brown hair with some lighter and darker strains scattered throughout which she normally has done up in an messy ponytail, her bangs sit from left to right when her left slide being longer than the right. She stands 170cm with curvy yet athletic build, her breasts are C-cup. She is Caucasian with a slightly tanned skin and ocean blue eyes, she has that natural beauty look and doesn't really wear any makeup. Despite her appearance, she is deceptively strong._

 _Her outfits differ depending on what she is doing however they all have one thing in common: a silver chained necklace with a silver locket that contains a picture of her family on the opening day of their workshop._

 _When she is working on Zoids, she wears navy blue cargo pants with tools hanging out the pockets, leather steel-cap boots, A black small tank top that shows her midriff and arms. A flame retardant shirt tied around her waist just in case she needs to use the plasma torch and a pair of welding goggles that sit on top of her head. She isn't afraid to get messy or sweaty, she hates when her clothes sick to her when she is working on the Zoids._

 _When she is hanging out at home, she wears knee high boots, dark grey track pants and a t-shirt that has a picture of the famous Thunder Team, a Class S Zoid Team that won the Ultra Grand Prix in the past. She has several of these shirts, each a different color which she alternates depending on her mood.  
_  
 _Whenever out and about the town or fighting a Zoid battle, Madison wears a off 1 shoulder style shirts with a black tank top underneath, black 3/4 length pants with black and white sneakers._

 **Preferred Zoid Type:** _Tiger Zoids_

 **History:** _Madison's childhood was a rough one, growing up in the poorer sections of the city. Her parents had work themselves to the bone just to ensure there was enough money to put food on the table. She learned to approximate what they had and not want anything what would be considered a waste of money. When she was old enough she developed a fascination with Zoids and wanted to help her father with his work._

 _Madison's father Theodore Griffiths was a skilled Zoid Mechanic and gained all this knowledge about fixing Zoids from his father. It's like a family tradition, however before Madison was born his company ran into a some trouble; his business partner had a scheme that backfired and left the Griffith Family in a lot of debt._

 _While Theodore was teaching Madison all he knew, his wife Jasmine would work long shifts at a diner that was popular for Zoid pilots and would promote their workshop there, having hopes of getting more business. There came a point where they were able to upgrade into a larger facility and the picture taken on the open day now has a permanent home in Madison's locket._

 _As she grew up, Madison kept on tinkering with odd weaponry and armor in hopes of restoring them to a usable state. This was primarily to aid her father in paying the debt and to aid the family business. What started out as a necessary job would then turn into a hobby of hers. Restoring old components that she bought from salvagers, as well as scavenging wild Zoid wrecks, Madison truly began to meet her goal of making her parents lives a lot easier._

 _She saw a flyer for a Zoid Tournament and it stated that anyone could join. Using the money she had saved so far and an old Zoid that was laying about the shop, she entered the tournament. She almost made to the finals but her Zoid was too old and not in pristine condition, causing it to fail on her. However she did manage to impress someone enough to give her an opportunity of being a Zoid pilot, namely Matilda Dae Kim._

 **Piloting Experience:**

 _ **Intermediate:** Zaber Fang  
 **Beginner** with a few others._

 _Though she knows how to pilot the Zoids, she has no actual Combat Experience. Growing up helping her father as a Zoid Mechanic, Madison has a lot of experience piloting a large range of Zoids and being able to maneuver Zoids in tight quarters due to size of the workshop. However she ha onlys recently picked up Zoid Battles and has little to no experience fighting with a Zoid, apart from calculations and specs of course._

 _Though she has dabbled slightly in several Zoid types, she favors the Zaber Fang the most. Her Zoid Piloting experience, from working at the family workshop. She has had a lot of experience piloting the customers' Zoids around the workshop, which are mainly around the size of Zaber Fangs and with the occasional larger Zoid. She has always preferred the Zaber Fang for multiple reasons: their looks, their speed and the sheer choice of weaponry that can be installed on. Being the weapons nut that she is, whenever a Zaber Fang came into the workshop, she would try and extend the amount of time she had to pilot the Zoid, often using the time to figure out interesting loadouts should she ever get one of her own._

 **Talents/Skills:  
**  
 **Armament Encyclopedia** _: Madison is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to Zoid Armaments, her knowledge about weaponry surprises a lot of people. She can tell the specs of a weapon (pros and cons) just by looking at it. However the state of art, newly released weapons do stump her a bit. She does use that knowledge to plan out her Zoids loadout to give her an edge in the next battle, as well as her teammates._

 **Zoid Mechanic:** _Before becoming a pilot for a Zoids team, Madison spent her entire life helping her father as a Zoid Mechanic in the family workshop. Since the workshop was small in comparison to other more well known workshops, she got plenty of hands on experience. All the customers and the workers there praise her skills and trust her to handle even some of the extreme cases. Though she is skilled, she is no miracle worker._

 **Excellent Bartering Skills:** _Due to growing up with minimal funds, Madison has learnt how to make the most of her money and given her obsession with Zoid weaponry, she has developed some extremely effective bartering skills to get the price of the item into a range that suits her best. Her methods can range from flirting to a more brutal observational breakdown of the item she is trying to buy._

 **Good Source of Entertainment** : _Madison is surprisingly a good source of entertainment when she gets focused in repairing a Zoid or weapon. She likes to listen to music, which often results in her starting to sing and dance with the music playing. She has an excellent range in her voice and her dance moves seem to incorporate the activity she is doing at the time or the item she is holding (i.e. using a big torque wrench as guitar for some epic air guitaring). However she does this when alone and gets **extremely** embarrassed with an audience._

 **Attitude Towards Manager:** _She would get along with Matilda quite well be it just messing around or talking about Zoids. Matilda's antics wouldn't faze her one bit, since she is used to weird and crazy stuff happening after living a life of hanging around other Zoid Mechanics. Madison would probably see Matilda as an older sister that she never had. However she will constantly fight with her if Matilda tries to get Madison to act more feminine and care about her appearance._

* * *

 **Submitted By: _Fool Arcana Kaiju_**

 **Name:** _Damien Stein_

 **Age:** _21_

 **Gender:** _Male_

 **Personality:** _At first Damien can often appear boring or detached to others as he is extremely paranoid, making it difficult for him to trust other people. In addition to that, he buries his emotions deep inside himself, causing him to come off as being quite stoic, stern, unemotional, serious and self-disciplined. He is however humble and modest, despite his difficult past. In extreme cases, he can even appear cold and unsympathetic, stemming from the suffering and devastation inflicted by many hardships and tragedies._

 _Damien has always had a noble and honest spirit, intolerant towards injustice and abuses of power, but he is usually a clear-minded, calm, collected, and serene individual as he adopts a tranquil nature free flowing most of the time. When he decides to rise to action, he is very unforgiving and crushing, usually refusing to accept any sort of nonsense. He doesn't speak very often, usually only replying to conversations instead of starting them. Damien is a force for good, with an iron will and a desire to do the right thing. He has continuously stated his disinterest in his supposed 'purpose,' and tries to hide his conflicted feelings beneath the wisecracking facade of an adventurous tough-guy. What separates him from the others is his humanity, morality, and deeply values the safety of humanity and his friends. He is somewhat friendlier, kind-hearted, loving and cares about the people around him as he cares for the safety of his friends, plus he is heralded for being kind and gentle to anybody trustworthy; while still very quiet and reserved, he is willing to greet people with a rare smile and can sometimes have a good sense of humor that he uses during tough times. He has a passion for Zoids, since he grew up watching his mom and being trained by her to become a pilot._

 **Appearance:** _His hair is short and black and stops at his neck, it is also dreadlocks. His eyes a light sandy brown. His skin is slightly dark, and his body is a athletic body, and is slightly muscular, not to much and not to weak. He stands 6'0" and weighs 215lbs. right arm has a black wolf tribal tattoo and his body, and his right arm had a chain tattoo specifically his back is covered with scars. He normally wears He normally wears a black shirt with a red skull on it. He has a dark blue vest with a hood, and on the back with the word "Anarchy" in a blood red color. He has black pants with rips in the middle. He has black boots with spikes on the side. His combat suit is a black shirt with a black & grey jacket. Has black pants with and grey boots. He wears black gloves and has a white head band._

 **Preferred Zoid Type:** _Wolf-Type_

 **History:** _A kid with a lot to offer. Damien was the kind of kid homebrewed to have a lot of potential. His mother was a Zoid pilot, who competed on a small team with her friends. She operated a lot of Zoids in her time, but her favorite and main Zoid was the Whitz Wolf Zoid. Damien's dad was a Zoid pilot as well, but retired due to a incident where he lost his left arm. Damien spent most of his time watching his mom use her Zoid, or working on it whenever she gave it a break. This caused him to start daydreaming about becoming a Zoid pilot. After discovering her son's interest, she taught Damien as much as she could about Zoids and working on them, and even how to battle with them. After several years, she decided to retire with her Whitz Wolf. She helped Damien become a pilot when he turned 18, but also let him know not to rush when it comes to using Zoids, stressing the importance of the bond between a pilot and his Zoid. Once forged, it's virtually unbreakable._

 _Initially, Damien had having a tough time when it came to finding the ideal type to pilot; certain types didn't mix well with his style of combat and as a result, he often ended up coming out with more injuries and destroyed Zoids than victories. He tried using a Rev Raptor, but found it's lack of armor and firepower was too great a weakness even for it's great speed and agility. Damien then got the opportunity to use a Zaber Fang. It lasted a little longer, but Damien hated its sluggish movements and Damien just couldn't find his bearing with it and ended up getting it destroyed in a rough battle. Damien's mom found it amusing; she saw a little of herself in her youth in her son's struggles and naivety of always criticizing the Zoids he used and how bad he was at using them or how they didn't meet his standards._

 _His mom and dad chat about what to do for Damien and help him get better as a Zoid pilot, and Damien's dad had a idea to help fit Damien with a Zoid that should fit his sons needs: a Zoid with an Organoid system that didn't have a pilot imprinted into its system. After a lot of thinking, his dad gave him an old Command Wolf that he used back in the day, as he could not manage to get the Organoid on his side completely. After getting the Wolf fixed up and upgraded, his dad asked him to take the Zoid on several runs a day, ensuring to not push it further than it was willing to go. Damien did as he asked and soon, the two soon form a bond. Damien's first fight with the Command Wolf, ended with him winning. After every fight Damien had, he kept logs on Zoids he faced, making notes of weaknesses and strengths of each species. Though the Wolf was capable of learning the weaknesses on its own, but he still prefer having his own notes to review. Damien and his command wolf had a bit of a streak when it came to fighting. At this point Damien wanted to form his own team or join one. His Command wolf does get quite overwhelm and this usually results in taking more damage then they wanted, and Damien's mom would often scold him about fighting and sustaining damage. Damien tries his best, but he knows, he has a long way before becoming the best._

 _After piloting his father's Command Wolf for two years, Damien decided that it was time for him to go on his own path to becoming a pilot. Taking all of the knowledge, as well as a nice sum of money to start with from his parents, Damien leaves to find a team of his own._

 **Piloting Experience:**

 _Zaber Fang- **Beginner**_

 _Rev Raptor- **Beginner**_

 _Command Wolf- **Intermediate**. Noted to have exceptional talent with this type of Zoid._

 **Talents/Skills:**

 **Adept Mechanic:** _Damien is a very good mechanic, having learned from his dad. He is especially familiar with Command Wolves, as he has spent a lot of his time with one and learned as much as he could about it._

 **Command Wolf Specialist:** _Though he's not as knowledgeable about general parts, he knows what a Command Wolf is capable of and as such, can devise effective loadouts for different situations. He can look at a Command Wolf and tell just about everything it is equipped with at a glance._

 **Decent** **Cook** : _Since he spent lot of his younger days alone, his mother taught him how to cook and fend for himself. He's not by any means a great cook, but knows how to keep himself nourished without making something taste like rubber._

 **Adept Rogue:** _He knows how to use a lockpick and is very good with a knife._

 **Attitude Towards Manager:** _Damien and Matilda would get along at first, Damien would probably keep his distance, or rarely talk except during battles or planning, but as time grows, Damien would grow to respect Matilda, as both his manager and a friend. Even though it's not exactly his thing, he still tries getting use too her openness especially when he has to to talk to her, but at the end of the day, he'd prefer her to be his manger over anyone else. He does get very flustered whenever he sees her wearing little and practically faints if he sees her in all her glory._

* * *

 **Submitted By: The user has asked to remain anonymous, but special thanks regardless!**

 **Name:** _Rosalina Lopez_

 **Age:** _19_

 **Gender:** _Female_

 **Personality:** _Rosalina is the quiet type, but you know what they say about those. Possessing the rather rare trait of rock solid emotional stability, Rosalina comes across down-to-earth and has a surprising amount of patience for difficult people. While she prefers more leisurely activities like reading, bathing, and knitting, she is open-minded to new things though may sometimes need some convincing._

 _Rosalina has the unusual trait of hating to see others give up. She admits it may be her fatal flaw because she even hates to see opponents give up. While kind and generous, Rosalina's gentle eyes belie an unbreakable will. She hates giving up but even more hates seeing others give up, even when surrender would benefit her. This can partly be attributed to the fact that she enjoys a challenge but also her innate empathy for others. This empathy means that while she has a good sense of humor because seeing others laugh makes her want to laugh, she doesn't like when a joke is at the cost of someone else._

 _While a bit uncomfortable around strangers and new people, Rosalina warms up quickly to people and can be somewhat affectionate to people she likes. While she doesn't like invading personal space, she is not above a hand on the shoulder or sometimes even a polite hug for people she considers friends. Anyone who she's close with gets the perk of her undying loyalty, while people she loves get her unwavering devotion. The way she sees it, you don't have to watch your back when someone else always has it, so she tries to be dependable to her teammates._

 _Despite her willingness to try new things and her enjoyment of spending leisurely time with others, Rosalina is surprisingly shy when it comes to sex and nudity. Sexual jokes and teasing of a more intimate nature get her very flustered and make her face go quite red. She shows a similar reaction to romantic advances due to her inexperience with relationships, often finding herself at a loss for words when such situations come up. Rosalina spent most of her life around her family so she can be a bit awkward around new people. She's also quite demure and doesn't like showing too much skin, but can work around such hang ups when properly motivated._

 **Appearance:** _Rosalina stands at 163 centimeters. Of Hispanic origins, her skin is roughly a light chestnut color, her hair dark brown, and her eyes a forest green color. Her hair is slightly curly and frames her face with bangs falling neatly to her eyes. She wears it long, roughly halfway down her back._

 _Rosalina has a bit more meat on her bones than she'd prefer, but isn't fat. More like pleasantly plump with curves in the right places. Most of the chubbiness she has is attributed to not having a very thin waist, but her stomach is still quite flat despite this. Her arms are a little thick and her thighs more so, but she's quite proportional and has perky breasts in the upper end of the D-cup range. Her rear is a little meaty, but similarly perky and proportionate._

 _Rosalina is rarely ever seen without her glasses, which are round and quite nerdy from extensive reading. She wears a silver pendant with a jade stone set in it that rarely leaves her neck and often ties the end of her hair with a white ribbon so it's more controlled._

 _Rosalina prefers dresses and favors the color white. If casual clothing is called for she will wear a white sun dress and opts for modest gowns when something fancier is called for. In the cockpit of a Zoid she opts for a more practical, though still feminine, outfit of a knee-length black skirt with dark tights, white sneakers, and a cream-colored cardigan over a dark green sweater. Her bra and panties are invariably white in keeping with her preference for the color and are quite sensible, if lacey and slightly frilly._

 **Preferred Zoid Type:** _Rosalina has an odd and rather impractical preference for Zoids not built for direct combat. She prefers Zoids that require intelligence, perception, and strategy to properly make the most of rather than ones built for frontal assaults that can be used by simply powering through. While this means that any Zoid she pilots won't be a powerhouse, it will bring something unique to the table once she gets the hang of it._

 **History:** _Born to Jorge and Juanita Lopez, Rosalina is the middle child of seven brothers and sisters, giving her a bit of a case of middle-child syndrome. While not attention seeking, Rosalina is a bit of the black sheep of her family. Her sensible nature and patience can likely be attributed to having three older siblings to receive guidance from and three younger siblings to give guidance to. Her family runs the "High and Lopez Eatery," a family diner specializing in a variety of foods. The members of her family run every job in the diner, including cooking, bussing, serving, and dishwashing. Rosalina originally was put to work as a dishwasher due to her liking for water but found it boring as she wanted to be around more people. However, when put to work as a waitress, her family often found her staring off into space and losing track of orders. Desperate to find something for their daughter to do, the Lopez's opened up a delivery service for their food and purchased a Gorgodos. After extensive lessons around the time she was 16, Rosalina was put to work as a courier for delivering the High and Lopez Eatery's food._

 **Piloting Experience:**

 **Gorgodos:** **Close to Intermediate In Piloting Only** **.** _Rosalina was given lessons on how to operate Zoids using a Gorgodos. She became surprisingly good at it over the three years she spent as a delivery girl for High and Lopez Eatery. She however has no battle experience, though she has always wanted to learn how to do so._

 **Talents/Skills:**

 **Determination and Devotion:** _While not innately talented, Rosalina is an extremely hard worker and won't give up once she's set her eyes on a task. She loves a challenge and is extremely dedicated to what she does and the people involved. Her strength of will is quite contradictory to her innocence and kindness. But as most adversaries assume she is easy to force down, they are often sorely mistaken when she cannot be broken._

 **Expert Swimmer:** _Rosalina has an odd affinity for water. She loves baths and could spend hours at a beach or pool if given the opportunity. She's a very good swimmer and freediver._

 **Sewing:** _Rosalina practices sewing, knitting, crocheting, and embroidery to relax after a hard day. She's quite skilled and often alters or mends her own outfits._

 **High Intellect:** _Coupling with her work ethic, Rosalina is surprisingly intelligent and quite perceptive of things. She learns fast and absorbs and retains knowledge quickly if properly challenged. She also has high comprehension of foreign concepts._

 **High Empathy:** _Rosalina is oddly perceptive of others' emotions and coupling with her high intellect and perception, can usually discern not only when someone is feeling down, but why. She hates seeing others sad and so is often one to offer kind words or a hug. While affectionate, she is careful not to overstep any boundaries._

 **Tact and Manners:** _Rosalina's parents raised her to be ladylike and with high etiquette. She tends to be careful not to offend or hurt others and often knows how to phrase things to make them easier to swallow. Sometimes, however, her feminine nature and finesse can get in the way of situations where rushing and throwing things like modesty and caution to the wind would be beneficial._

 **Attitude Towards Manager:** _Rosalina finds Matilda's lackadaisical attitude toward nudity extremely embarrassing. While she loves Matilda's motherly nature and cooking and is eternally grateful for giving her this opportunity, Rosalina hates how she pranks her so much. Since she loves baths, Rosalina is often the victim of Matilda's "steal their clothes" prank. She can't figure out how her manager does it so well and yet, seem so mediocre in other endeavors..._

* * *

 **Substitute Pilots**

 **~ o ~**

 **These characters serve as substitutes for the team, taking the place of any of the four main cast members should they depart the story for some reason or if they meet their end.**

 **Even though their role seems insignificant on paper, they play a very important role as part of the family.**

 **Thank you all for submitting; it was difficult to decide on two people so as a result, keep submitting! People can come and go after all!**

* * *

 **Submitted By: _VictorianOfChaos_**

 **Name:** _Arslen Salem_

 **Age:** _21_

 **Gender:** _Female_

 **Personality:** _Arslen tends to create different moods for types of situation. Ordinarily, she is the personification of playfulness. She loves to mess around with others, though it sometimes results in cruel and harsh jabs even though she doesn't mean any real harm. She is actually quite the fiery girl; she doesn't take no for a answer and is quite hard-headed. Even though she comes across as a stubborn person, she is very dependable and her ambitions tend to be for others rather than just herself. She does however have a tendency to undermine herself at times, often escalating a selfless act to deeming herself irrelevant and putting other's sakes before her very own. Arslen is a early bird. And you'll most likely find her asleep on a zoid, working out, or working on weapons._

 _Arslen is also very determined and hard-headed, sticking to her guts and her heart, and will never give up on her. Her eyes are really really good at spotting things and her ears are good at hearing some of the quietest squeaks. She loves kids and always help those in need as she had been in the same shoes as them, and does her best to keep those around her happy. She often keeps to herself about her problems and due to her selfless nature, she always tries and gets others to talk about theirs before allowing any concern to shift to her._

 _She is also very independent. This is mainly due to her innate desire to prove her worth and her strength to everyone. In these cases, she is courageous and at times, a little overzealous. She has a warm heart, usually thinking about others before even considering her own place in a plan or idea. She has a habit of speaking exactly what's on her mind, whether or not it is a good opinion depends on the situation. She is rough-and-tumble, to say the least. Most importantly however, Arslen has an inferiority complex, and as a result of this, she always thinks she hasn't done something good enough that warrants praise or a reward due to her rough past._

 _She loves Zoids as she sees herself in some of them. Even though they are inherently dangerous, she is fascinated with wild Zoids. In battle, she prefers both keeping her distance and tries to avoid close range combat, though she will do so if she has no other choice. Arslen is a lesbian and is quite open about it. As such, she won't hesitate to compliment her female teammates if it involves their body or their skill. Her zoids skills are good enough, but she wants to improve herself, and become better to those that look up to her and enjoy life._

 **Appearance:** _She stands 5'7" and weighs 148lbs. She has slightly tanned skin. Her body is a slender athletic frame and has a fairly decent cup size (C-D) and has a modest amount of freckles on her cheeks. She also has a relatively toned body, more so than a lot of female Zoid pilots though she doesn't really shine in any other aspect. She has white hair that stops at the bottom of her neck with black bangs. She has clear blue eyes and rather pronounced canine teeth. Upon examination, one can see burn marks and several scars spread out over her body._

 _In her free time, Arslen wears a black, zip up vest with a picture of a sparrow on it, unzip in the front, it stops slightly below her breast shoring her tone stomach. She has blue pants that has scratches and hole all over her pants. She has black and red sneakers. She doesn't wear a bra, she has bandages around her chest and has black fingerless gloves and under those gloves are bandages so her fist doesn't bruise. She wears black goggles with one goggle glass missing._

 _In her Zoid, She wears a blue leather jacket, and under it is a blue bra without a shirt. She also wears dark grey pants with black boots and blue gloves._

 _On other days where she doesn't feel like wearing her vest or pants. She wears a white grey hoodie with a portion of the torso cut off, revealing her stomach. She wears black shorts that stops slightly above her knees, she has white and black tennis shoes._

 **Preferred Zoid Type:** _Dinosaur-Types. Especially the Tyrannosaurus and Raptor-Types._

 **History:** _Arslen was raised in a orphanage; she never knew her parents apart from a pair of goggles used by her father. During her childhood, she was transferred around different orphanages, which caused her to have very few friends. She was believed to be a problem child, solitary in nature and had a tendency to start fights with the other kids. She was picked on and bullied most of the time and the families that tried adopting her didn't know how to handle her. This cycle continued until she was 11 years old, where the particular orphanage she stayed in wasn't a well funded one and was also in a bad part of town. As a result of this, Arslen had to learn how to fend for herself, relying on no one in order to survive. She dedicated herself to learning survival skills, because she knew that she would one day have to go on her own._

 _Occasionally, a few Zoid pilots visited the orphanage and one of them took a interest in her despite her attempt to ignore him. The pilot was surprised at how mature Arslen was for her young age and saw how developed her aim and accuracy was; she threw a pebble into can a few dozen meters away with no real effort, multiple times in a row. He was so impressed that he decided to adopt her a week later. He took Arslen to meet his family and allowed her to live with them for a week to see if she liked it. It would be the first time in years that Arslen had a genuine smile or a good time. The family accepted her with open arms and it was the first time Arslen had ever seen a forest in her life due to the family making their living in the woods. There she met the man's wife and daughter and also got to meet the two Zoids the family had; an Iron Kong and a Snipe Master. That week was the most fun she had experienced thus far in her life, and a month later, the family fully adopted her._

 _During her time with them, Arslen discovered her talent for marksmanship wasn't just good for landing pebbles in a cup, it also translated well into using a bow and arrow, guns and throwing knives. She, however, was always watching her stepmom shoot out of the Snipe Master. The shots were so precise and clear that it made Arslen admire her in addition to aspiring to be like her. On her 15th birthday, when she was actually tall enough to pilot either Zoid, her family took Arslen to a shooting range, where pilots were allowed to test out their Zoid weaponry. It was there that Arslen's father began to realize her potential to be a Zoid pilot. After learning her parameters and her bearings, and a few (first 10 shots) misses, the day proceeded with her landing several perfect deadeyes, something completely unheard of for someone of her age. She had shown her gift: the uncanny knack of being accurate with just about any projectile weapon she got her hands on. This talent continued to develop, impressing her foster family and several soldiers._

 _Arslen would spend the next few years learning all she possibly could about Zoids, and trying to make her dream of becoming a great Zoid pilot a reality. Her family was supportive and on her 18th birthday, they got her a Gun Sniper. It wasn't in the best condition, but it was hers. Arslen spent the next few months working on and with the Zoid, sharpening her skills in hopes of getting a break when she came of legal age to join a Zoids team. She then decided to enter a contest for a sniping bout with her Gun Sniper. It was difficult for her at first due to the fact that she didn't look at all like the other pilots, who had practically brand new Zoids or things that seemed state of the art while she looked like something fresh out of the junkyard. She was successful in qualifying and a week later the contest began. She actually made it to the finals, and almost blew away her competition, but in her final match, she lost to a Snipe Master, which shattered her Gun Sniper's barrel and left leg. The damage also extended to Arslen's left eye, due to the circuitry releasing sparks which seared a small scar across it. Losing this contest strengthened her resolve to do better and after seeing how dedicated she was, her family supported her, going so far as to create an alias and a fan base for herself. Despite her injury, she was able to learn how to use her right eye to aim shots instead of her left. Her parents though reminded her that with her injuries, it would be tough for her to find a team since she wasn't at 100% and she wouldn't be as accurate as she was before._

 _On her 20th birthday, she visited the orphanage that raised her with her Gun Sniper, and the kids, who were told her story, welcomed her with open arms, even going so far as to call her their role model. Arslen, even with her diminished sight, saw the state the orphanage was in. She wanted to make it better and give the kids a better life, one that she didn't have when she was their age. Having a new goal and newfound resolve, as well as as a large following in the orphanage and her family, Arslen set out to join a Zoid team with her ultimate goal to see the orphanage develop into a paradise._

 **Piloting Experience:**

 **Iron Kong:** **Beginner.** _Her Step-dad's Iron Kong. he let Arslen take a few runs in it. She can only move it in a basic manner and has absolutely no combat experience with it._

 **Pteras:** **Beginner/Almost non-existent.** _Her foster sister Raven had a Pteras she used for delivering packages across the continent and taught Arslen the basics of piloting one. She likes it the way it feels, but has no desire to revisit it because she's at all fond of heights. No combat experience at all._

 **Gun Sniper:** **Intermediate.** _Her bread and butter. Speed, power and stealth, what else can she say about the gun sniper. It's not as heavy duty as other Zoids or as durable, but she has gotten down to using it better than most and loves it to death. She has sniping experience, but no real battle experience._

 **Talents/Skills:**

 **Gun Sniper Affinity-** _She can use a Gun Sniper better then anyone on the team, (she tells herself that) but knows the Zoid inside and out and can figure out problems by just taking a look at one. She has shown great mastery of the Zoid and though she isn't as good with it as a professional, she shows exceptional promise._

 **Mechanical Knowledge-** _Her dad worked on Zoids and helped Arslen learn how to fix them. She knows the most about the Gun Sniper, since its her main Zoid._

 **Adaptable-** _She has absolutely no qualms when it comes to living conditions, due to moving around a lot during her childhood. She can go without food or drink for great periods of time with no sign of visible discomfort._

 **Expert Marksman-** _She has excellent perception and can calculate all manners of trajectory and distance in mere seconds. She is a cut above most pilots with her accuracy and even after getting injured and having her eyesight diminished, she is considered an excellent marksman. This talent extends to not only her Gun Sniper, but also with projectile weaponry such as guns, bows and throwing knives. As a result of her excellent perception, she is also capable of seeing targets from great distances, making her a capable scout._

 **Scavenger-** _She believes that all broken down Zoids hold something of great value. If you see her out and about when a battle isn't going on, she looking for parts or something to figure out, and she's pretty good at it too._

 **Excellent Judge Of Character-** _Throughout her lifetime, Arslen relied on lying and being able to tell who she could trust and who she could not. As a result of this, she is more than capable of telling when someone is lying. She is particularly good at telling when a woman is lying, likely due to her affinity and liking for them._

 **Attitude Towards Manager:** _Arslen openly compliments her manager's body, a stark contrast to every other member of the team and will sometimes even joke about joining her in nude strolls. Arslen also joins in Matilda in pranks, always loving to have a good time and openly bond with her. She would respect and accept her but most importantly, would be eternally grateful for Matilda giving her the chance to live her dream as a Zoid pilot. Even though her ultimate goal is to help her orphanage, she has no problem catering to Matilda's whims...so long as they don't completely conflict with her own agenda._

 **~ o ~**

 **Submitted by: zipscool**

 **Name:** _Orita Owle_

 **Age:** _20_

 **Gender:** _Female_

 **Personality:** _Orita is a lonely and sensitive soul; painfully shy and slow to open up to others owing to the fact that she was born a mute. Those who break past her jittery exterior, however, will find a patient, warm, and energetic young lady who expresses herself through wide, toothy smiles and wildly excitable arm gestures. She loves nothing more than diving into the inner workings of a zoid, occasionally curling up inside the wires and drifting off to sleep, with a particular fondness for flyers such as the Redler, or Storm Sworder, the latter of which her parents kept as a transport._

 _Orita both struggles with and admires those with confidence as they oftentimes remind her of the person she wishes she could be, were it not for her disability, and tends to shy away from group discussions. A lifetime of this behaviour has led to some deep-rooted insecurities which frequently manifest themselves as nightmares, and her belief that she is fundamentally weak and broken holds back her otherwise capable skill as a zoid pilot. Thus, she has no concept at all of the concept of romance, save what she has observed from afar in other people (primarily her parents), and she is quietly envious of taller, curvier girls her age._

 **Appearance:** _Orita is modestly-tanned Caucasian, and stands at 5 feet dead with short and scraggly, but striking scarlet hair with a couple of strands on the crown of her head which usually stick out almost like the eyebrows of an owl irregardless of her attempts to smooth them (much to her personal chagrin), which earned her the somewhat uninspired nickname "Owly" when she was very young. She has a sharp, pixie-like face, with angular cheeks, a smooth jawline, a smattering of freckles and bright amber eyes flecked with gold. Her bust size is on the smaller side of B-cup, a source of some disappointment owing to her mother's considerably curvier appearance._

 _In terms of clothing, she often covers herself beneath a desert-tan poncho. Underneath, she usually wears blue slacks of various shades, coupled with a tank top or short-sleeved cotton shirt. On her feet, she often wears dark brown sandals, but will switch to steel-toed worker's boots if she thinks she'll be pulling open the hood of a Zoid in the near future._

 **Preferred Zoid Type** : _Orita doesn't have any one model of Zoid she openly prefers. Though she has taken a shine in the past to flyer-types thanks to her family._

 **History:** _Born a mute, Orita found herself ostracised by many of her peer group for her inability to communicate from an early age, and instead of making friends, decided to bury herself in the inner workings of zoids, her parents running a fairly minor repair shop in a rural town. With few friends who quickly vanished, Orita's history is a simple affair as she threw herself wholly into the world of engineering, becoming a bright young worker and a keen-eyed pilot when allowed to take the controls from her father in the family's battered, old Storm Sworder._

 _She quickly found entertainment in watching Zoid Team Battles, spending many an evening wishing that she could be one of the cool, calm and confident pilots she so admired. The desire was so strong that she eventually began taking the Storm Sworder out more and more frequently, much to the consternation of her father, who was never comfortable with the idea of his mute, shy daughter at the controls of a potential weapon. After almost fatally colliding with a Zoid from a Zoid Team, her father forbade her from piloting, something she took hard. The next day, she was gone, with scarcely a goodbye note. Orita didn't particularly know where she was going, nor did she care, but the only clear thought was how much joy flying gave her, and how she would love to keep doing so, even if it made her father hate her._

 _As an aside; at the age of 18, she finally (semi-)conquered her inability to speak by creating a hideous-looking semi-reliable artificial voice-box which she can use temporarily to communicate verbally (albeit awkwardly and with a static, robotic tone of voice). The battery, however, tends not to last long even when used sparingly, and as such, she only tends to use it when she absolutely has to get a point across quickly._

 **Piloting Experience:  
**  
 **Storm Sworder** _ **-** Intermediate/Beginner (see below)  
_  
 **Redler-** _Intermediate/Beginner (see below)_

 **Talents/Skills/Quirks:**

 **Shrinking Violet** \- _Orita believes she is near worthless thanks to a lack of social activity and near constant peer-abuse from a young age because of her disability. Until the day comes that others can help her out of her shell, Orita's skill as a pilot is only slightly better than a beginner-level pilot._

 **Trust me; I'm an engineer!-** _Orita knows most Zoids inside and out, and is more than capable of diagnosing a fault and setting to work on putting it right. She is also a keen inventor, a fact her (admittedly atrocious-looking) artificial voice-box can attest to, and can often be found in or around junk piles looking for scrap she can bolt or weld together to craft something new (which may or may not explode when fired up...)_

 **Mute-** _Orita cannot speak without the aid of her artificial voice-box. She can make strangulated gasping noises at best and many would agree that this is a poor substitute for proper language. Compounding her woes is the fact that her knowledge of sign-language is dubious at best. As a result, Orita relies on expressing herself through her facial expressions and hand gestures to get her point across (with some considerable difficulty)._

 **Body Envy-** _Orita lacks the curves many other women her age possess, a fact that both demoralizes and infuriates her. If sufficiently incensed by a particularly ample-bodied woman, she can temporarily break through her mental barriers until her fury subsides._

 **Runaway Hobo-** _Orita has been away from home for some considerable time now. As such, she is aware of how to make food last, and of the best spots to sleep comfortably and scrounge around for food and other items that might be of interest that others might pass over._

 **Attitude Towards Manager:** _Orita often times can't decide on whether she likes or despises Matilda. Her warm, maternal personality and absolutely killer meals, coupled with her knowledge of Zoids wins her over, only for the manager's later flaunting to cause her to gnash her teeth in green-eyed envy. She is decidedly unkeen on Matilda's pranks, as many of them remind her of the bullying she endured as a young girl. Particularly distressing is the one in which she might steal her clothes, as she lacks confidence in her physical appearance, among other things._


	2. Zoids Guidelines

**(A/N): Alright everyone, we've arrived to the moment we've all been waiting for: The Zoids. Now to keep things classy, I'll split this up into a few sections to make it crystal clear, with the ultimate goal being to allow you to create the Zoid that you want while also keeping it within a reasonable power level.**

 **To clarify to all those who are asking, I will accept Zoids from _Chaotic Century_ up to _New Century Zero_. I highlighted which Zoids are not allowed in the Guidelines before this one so if you are not aware, take a quick look before you read this section. Before we get to the actual customization and such, I'm going to explain some differences in this setting.**

* * *

1) Every Zoid has a **primitive** Organoid System **.**

 _This change was done in order to enable all Zoids to develop a personality of their own but then, that begs the question of what the word "primitive" means for this. This system is different from the Organoid System found in any of the anime because this system is similar to what a Pokemon is like in it's infancy._

 _To try and put it simply, let's take an example: The Liger Zoid. Ligers are derived from Lions, which means that they are proud and confident in nature but often charge in without thinking it all the way through. As a result of this, Liger Zoids tend to be stubborn, aggressive and reckless unless they are trained and guided to be otherwise. That is the type of Organoid system I speak of: one that will allow Zoids to act on their own, but not enhance their capabilities significantly or any more than they are trained. This will make your Zoid quite similar to that of a Pokemon or a Digimon though their systems are capable of learning enough to be able to control themselves on their own, but because the pilot has bonded with them, they can even become somewhat of a pet out of the sheer loyalty that can develop between them._

 _As a result of this change, go ahead and take a look at the corresponding animal your Zoid is based on. Picture their personalities to start like a wild animal of that species, which will eventually become a domesticated one and maybe, become a full blown partner._

2) The Organoid System has different tiers in accordance with the core, species and the overall technical capabilities of the Zoid. The system is also kept within the Zoid's core.

 _What this means is that most Zoids, while they do have an Organoid System, will have their limits defined by the type of Zoid. For example, Zoids based on mammal designs will be more intelligent than those of say, the Insect kind. Once again, this can be attributed to the type of animal they are derived from. Insect Zoids for example, cannot develop a meaningful bond with the pilot due to the fact that they in actuality, do not have that kind of mindset._

 _A Wolf Zoid as another example, has a pack oriented mind. In the wild, Command Wolves will stay together as if they were a real pack of wolves and will attack their enemies as a group. If only one is left in the pack, it will flee. Wolves are capable of being domesticated depending on circumstances, the most notable one being a sentimental bond of trust and pride. If a Command Wolf sees a pilot and has a reason to trust it, it will begin to accept the pilot as a member of it's own pack and if the relationship progresses well enough, the pilot can even be seen as an alpha and leader._

 _When selecting a Zoid, keep in mind it's animal counterpart's behavior. It dictates how advanced their Organoid System is capable of getting and will give you a rough idea of how the Zoid will see its pilot. As such, certain Zoids may not have a Organoid System capable of true sentience, instead relying on primal instincts._

 _In addition, all the Organoid System's memories and information is stored in the Zoid core, which doubles as the brain in addition to the power source of the Zoid. This theoretically allows the system to be interchanged between Zoids, but it is an expensive service to have done in addition to running the risk of damaging the sensitive core. It is for this reason, that pilots normally change Zoids altogether unless they are willing to risk the core._

3) The Organoid System in this setting has several limits and a few traits:

 _\- Zoids will **not** be capable of controlling all functions on their own. They still need a pilot to do things such as release safety locks on weapons and unlock their legs to allow movement. This can be alleviated by the pilot enabling the Zoid to do these themselves willingly.  
_  
 _\- Zoids will **not** be able to learn combat behaviors anywhere near as fast as that of the **Liger Zero** or the **Berserk Fury**. This time, it takes a lot of training rather than just an advanced AI system to get that baddass.  
_  
 _\- Certain Zoids will greatly dislike certain weapons depending on their type. For example, Ligers will not like long ranged weapons because they prefer to go headfirst into combat due to their great pride and aggressive nature and as such, will not like pilots who force them to adopt that kind of fighting style. This can be alleviated based on trust and synergy between pilot and Zoid, but the initial dislike will be there in order to give Zoids more personality.  
_  
 _\- No Zoid will be capable of becoming **completely** sentient apart from **Wild Zoids** , which cannot be tamed or reasoned with except in special cases.  
_  
 _\- Zoids cannot register for battles of their own accord and require pilot input to do so. They can however express interest in being a part of a battle and can also refuse to join one for whatever reason.  
_  
 _\- Zoids are capable of jealousy and can like more than one pilot at a time in addition to learning traits about others. A shining example of this is Matilda's Command Wolf. Though it was her mother's Zoid, it has taken a liking to her and will obey her as if she were its original master. It knows her well enough to understand that she cannot pilot it safely and as such, will not force her to get into the cockpit. As a result of this, Matilda has released the safety locks of the Zoid, but it doesn't act unless she wants it to.  
_  
 _\- Zoids are capable of emotions. They can express pain, discomfort and anger. They can also express sadness, sorrow and depression. As such, they can also feel emboldened, happy, proud and even confident._

 _\- Zoids can have AI genders. This is primarily figured out either by observing its behavior or by communication with the pilot. As the pilot bonds with the Zoid, they can learn to understand what the Zoid is saying to them (though it is extremely difficult to do so) and from this, a gender can be discerned. Pilots can also purchase a special translator for their Zoid in order to decipher what it's saying to them._

* * *

Alright, now that we've covered the Organoid System, time to finish off any remaining details about the setting of this timeline.

\- _There are **Wild Zoids** in this setting. Wild Zoids wander the land similar to how wild animals do in the real world. They will attack with any weaponry that they possess and will also have attack patterns similar to their real life counterparts. For example, a wild Command Wolf that is armed with a chaingun will use its speed coupled with its gun for hit and run tactics. If it knows it cannot win, it will attempt to run or find others of its kind, creating pack behaviors. It is for this reason that the Zoid Battle Commission now monitors the battlefield for Wild Zoids and will set countermeasures in place to prevent their interference in scheduled battles, usually via a radio wave frequency that causes them severe pain._

 _\- All Zoid Battle Teams start their careers in **Class E**. They can register as a team as long as they have a manager and at least two pilots with a Zoid for each of them. Each battle will give them a differing number of points based on the existing scores of their opponent. Teams will get more points if their opponents are higher in ranking than they are and will receive marginally less if they defeat a team with less points than them. Once a team acquires 100 points, they qualify for a class promotion tournament, which pits them against the best teams of their class. If they win, they are promoted to the next class. If they lose, they automatically lose 20 points and much reacquire them to qualify again. If they lose, they cannot compete in another class promotion tournament for one month._

 _\- Upon reaching Class B or higher, teams will have to acquire 150 points in order to advance to their class promotion. At Class A, they will have to qualify for a Grand Tournament in addition to winning their class promotion, normally through trials set by the Zoids Battle Commission. Once a team comes in the top 3 in the Grand Tournament, they advance to the prestigious Class S, which allows them to enter the The Ultra Grand Prix, a tournament that is only held when at least 10 teams reach Class S. The winning team will be inducted into the Zoid Battle Commission's Hall Of Fame and will win an exuberant cash prize. Obviously, major bragging rights are also a perk of winning._

 _\- In the Ultra Grand Prix, teams are required to enter as a 4 man squad and are not allowed to substitute more than twice in a bracket. As a result of this, if three pilots are injured and are unable to battle during the course of the Grand Prix, they are automatically disqualified. Any losing teams in the Grand Prix that are not in the top 3 will automatically be booted down to Class A with 0 points. The 3rd and 2nd place winners will be booted down to Class A at 50 points._

 _\- There are tournaments held all over the place. While these do not offer points usually, they offer significant prize money. Some tournaments even offer rare Zoids as prizes. These tournaments only require that the team entering them be of a certain class to do so, in addition to having four members and Zoids ready to fight, as these matches are 4v4 only. Normal Zoid battles can be anywhere between 1v1 to 4v4, but all tournaments require a full roster. The rules are normally dictated by the team's requests and the discretion of their assigned Judge._

 _\- There are towns across the land. Every town has a Zoid dealership, a part dealership, a specialized Zoid garage where extensive repairs can be done as well as the basic necessities for human life to flourish. Each town also has a bounty board, normally allowing pilots to do tasks such as hunt down certain parts from wild Zoids in exchange for a monetary reward. Towns are also where most tournaments are advertised. There are also cities, but they are typically far away from where Zoid battles occur due to the potential danger the battle brings to the city. Obviously, larger cities mean a wider variety, as well as better quality services._

* * *

 **With all that out of the way, it's time for the Zoid creation process. You can read this section if you wish but do not submit one of these unless you've been informed that your pilot has been accepted into the roster. See the previous chapter for all relevant information pertaining to what is needed for the roster. I will try to make this as simple as possible but I will also add some extra features for those who are not as well versed in the Zoids lore in order to let them have some fun as well.**

 **Name:** _Not necessary, but if you have an affectionate name to call your Zoid, feel free to name it here. Most do not name their Zoids, but you can do so to give it a more personal feel._

 **Zoid Type:** _By this, I mean the overall type of Zoid. Meaning, is it a Lion, Fox, Tiger etc. Type for those who do not know, sort of dictates a lot of capabilities from the get go because it functions as a base model to work with. This dictates things such as armor type, weapon capabilities and speed, among other things. Most notably, it affects the base behavior of your Zoid's organoid system._

 **Zoid Model:** _You can use the wiki for this. There are not that many models for each Zoid so it shouldn't be too difficult to find one. If you do not like any of the models and want to make it something else, state the base model here and then label it as "custom". So for example, if you don't like the Command Wolf AC model but want to customize it, list is as "Customized Command Wolf AC Model"._

 **Armaments:** _Most Zoids do not come equipped with more than about three weapons. Anything more than that normally limits the Zoid to being a stationary heavy weapons specialist as it cannot move quickly with so much equipment weighing it down. You can do your own research on the weapons. A good place to look would be to look at a weapons list for Zoids: Legacy, as it contains the largest catalog of weapons and armor that I'm aware of. The wiki will likely have a lot of weapons there as well, but probably not as much as the aforementioned game. Do **not** try to make a Zoid fill every role, pick one and stick to it. If I see a Blade Liger than uses a long range rifle and still somehow magically has the ability to fight close range, you bet that's not going to make it past the reviewing process. I will leave it up to you to decide what makes sense so nothing insane, such as a charged particle cannon on a Command Wolf or some crazy combination like that._

 **Defensive Measures:** _One thing I was amazed at in New Century Zero was the lack of countermeasures. A lot of Zoids can have defense devices built into their armor, such as an energy shield, a short range EMP pulse and even an electrical discharger that damages anything close to the Zoid and can even fry the systems if it is of sufficient voltage. In the interest of keeping things simple, this section is entirely optional and if you choose to add something here, bear in mind that it will tax your Zoid's power consumption, which means that you won't be able to support as many weapons and the Zoid's overall performance is going to take a hit. This is especially true for Energy Shields, because they directly affect the power consumption of a Zoid's core if overused._

 **Appearance:** _How does your Zoid look? Note any customized cosmetic changes from the base model you selected here. Ensure that it's crystal clear to me of how different your Zoid is compared to the base one._

 **Organoid Personality:** _Though your Zoid has a base personality dependent on its type, describe any differences from the usual animalistic behavior it exhibits. Perhaps you have a Liger that lacks confidence, maybe a Lightning Saix that doesn't like to use it's speed. This is also important in painting the relationship your Zoid will have with not only your pilot, but also other members of the team. Treat this section as if you were describing your partner's personality, but keep in mind that complex behaviors will not develop at the start. Use this section to determine if your Zoid is a female or male as well. Finally, use this section to note anything your Zoid may have developed before it met your pilot in addition its preferred combat style. Perhaps it was a wild Zoid? Maybe it was factory made and was sitting in the lineup waiting for someone worthy to take it. Get creative here._

 **Relationship With Pilot:** _Note how your Zoid and pilot came to be and most importantly, describe what your pilot is to your Zoid. Is he/she a partner? Perhaps your pilot bought the Zoid because it looked cool and the Zoid still doesn't understand the reasoning. Maybe your Zoid hates humans and your pilot is the one exception to the rule? Note any significant experiences your pilot has had with the Zoid, such as noteworthy battles or moments that may have caused your Zoid to respect your pilot or perhaps, even cared for your pilot._

* * *

 **Starter Zoids**

 _Every pilot selected will be assigned a **starter** Zoid. _

_These Zoids will take into account your pilot's profile and experiences and they will **not** possess Organoid Systems; these are factory made Zoids built entirely by man._

 _If you have created a Zoid for your pilot to use, hold onto the idea and save it for later; it will be used once your pilot has outgrown their starter Zoid._

 **~ o ~**

 **Pilot Name:** _Wei Kennedy_

 **Assigned Starter Zoid:** _Shield Liger_

 **Standard Equipment for the** _Shield Liger_ :

 **Laser Sabers** : _Two long, sharp fangs located in the mouth of the Shield Liger. They can be charged up with laser energy to increase cutting power. They're sturdy and great for pinning an opponent in place._

 **Strike Claw** : _One on the end of each of the Shield Liger's legs, these claws have four toes made of sharp, extra-strength alloy. With the Shield Liger's innate strength and weight, these claws are capable of doing considerable damage if enough force is put behind it._

 **AZ208mm 3-Barrel Shock Cannon:** _Mounted under the chest and locked in a forward facing position. Each barrel is approximately 208mm. Since the ZBC manufactures both Zoids now, this cannon has been standardized with the one on the Saber Tiger. Both are extremely powerful, but tragically inaccurate beyond 100 meters, and especially when the Liger/Tiger is running. Best stand still to fire these suckers. They have a firing rate of one shot per barrel per second, or 3 shots/sec total._

 **Pop-Out type Missile Pod:** _One is mounted on each side of the Shield Liger on armored pylons which can be folded down to the sides to reveal the pods and folded back up to hide them behind a piece of armor on the front of the back. Each missile pod packs approximately 8 missiles and faces directly forward. Unlike standard missiles, these don't have as advanced targeting computers installed, but there's a lot of them to make up for it._

 **AMD Double-Barreled 20mm Beam Cannon:** _The Shield Liger's back armor can be flipped up to reveal the small, two-barreled beam cannon. It has 360 degrees of horizontal pivoting and even a little bit of vertical pivoting. A nice all-around weapon, it fires four shots per barrel per second, chainlinked to achieve a repeater effect of 8 shots per second. Each shot hits a bit harder than a 20mm cannon shell._

 **AZ30mm Double-barreled Beam Gun:** _Mounted on the tail of the Shield Liger and facing backwards. Due to limited space inside the tail, the firing rate is chopped in half of what other Zoids such as the Saber Tiger achieves, with its back-mounted model, managing three shots every two seconds._

 **E-Shield Generator:** _On the top and bottom of the mane of the Shield Liger, behind the head, are a pair of blue panels. They look like armor but they can be extended out of the mane to act as shield generators and create a powerful energy shield in front of the Shield Liger. It is strongest in the center but it also extends partly to the sides and over the top of the Shield Liger. It doesn't protect the rear at all. The shield holds up equally well against cannon, bullet, and laserfire, but beams are a bit more effective against it. High explosives and laser-charged ordnance (especially the Cannon Tortoise's mortar) are very effective at downing shields. Magnetic and electrical pulses are as well. The shield is powerful enough to be used as a battering ram if the Shield Liger can close the gap fast enough._

 **Special Armaments:** _None_

 **Special Defensive Measures:** _None_

 **Appearance:** _Looks like an ordinary Shield Liger. Instead of the stock blue paint job however, it has a deep green paint job instead._

 **~ o ~**

 **Pilot Name:** _Rosalina Lopez_

 **Assigned Starter Zoid:** _Stealth Viper_

 **Standard Equipment for the** _Stealth Viper_ :

 **Fangs-** _Can be used to bite enemies but cannot be charged in any way. In addition, they're terrible at tearing or shredding armor. Normally, it is only used as an anchor if the Viper is going to constrict it's victim._

 **16mm Vulcan Gun-** _A small gun attached to the face of the Viper. It fires small, armor piercing rounds and is very accurate. In addition, it is silenced except for hearing the bullets whiz through the air. Though they are armor piercing, they can't get through thick armors, such as the face armor of a Liger._

 **Steam Vents-** _All along the Stealth Viper are a series of steam vents that when activated, constantly release several streams of steam to create a large steam cloud around the Stealth Viper. The steam obscures visual and infrared targeting (save the Viper's own) and is produced from each segment save the head, central box and tip of the tail._

 **Infrared Sensor-** _Allows the Viper to see well at night and to see sources of heat, almost like "Predator" vision. However, the pilot can be blinded by extreme sources of light, such as explosions or excessive laser fire. Notably allows the Viper to see through it's own steam clouds._

 **Special Armaments:**

 **CP-04 Attack Unit:** _A package containing a medium range radar and a pair of Maser Cannons attached to the body. The radar is capable of generating a three dimensional outline of the surrounding terrain as well as models of any Zoids. Though it cannot detect stealthed Zoids, it can transmit data to other Zoids and allows the Viper to show the same modelling as the one on its own computer. The Maser Cannons are not particularly powerful due to the fact that they are real beams, not plasma. As a result, it has very low penetration but collisions with anything will cause it to heat up greatly. The Maser Cannons are also very light on the energy drain. In short, it doesn't do much apart from soften up the armor._

 **ZM-05 NARC Missile Unit:** _A missile pod attached to the back of the Viper's head. These are not the standard missiles however; these babies fire warheads that have extremely sensitive infrared homing. Once the warhead hits a target, it burrows into the armor of enemy Zoids and then, broadcast their location using a powerful signal transmitter. Once attached, the Zoid will be revealed no matter what they do unless they somehow manage to remove the warhead. However, the pods can only carry 5 missiles and each warhead will only be able to reveal their target for about ten seconds. The warheads do not do significant damage otherwise._

 **Special Defensive Measures:** _None_

 **Appearance:** _Looks like an ordinary Stealth Viper. Has a deep brown paint job with lighter brown going down the middle of the Zoid._

 **~ o ~**

 **Pilot Name:** _Madison Griffiths_

 **Assigned Starter Zoid:** _Saber Tiger_

 **Standard Equipment for the** _Saber Tiger:_

 **Laser Sabers:** _Two long, sharp fangs located in the mouth of the Saber Tiger. They can be charged up with laser energy to aid in piercing into your enemy. Best used to hold onto your foe while the claws work them over something awful_

 **Strike Claw:** _One on the end of each of the Saber Tiger's legs, these claws are made of extra-strength alloy. The Saber Tiger, as well, is physically strong and can make great use of these claws for tearing into its opponent. All around good melee weaponry._

 **AEZ 20mm Beam Gun:** _One is located in each shoulder in a forward locked position. They fire small-caliber bolts of charged particles sheathed in a red jacket of laser containment energy. While they're not as accurate as lasers, they hit a bit harder than the other types of ammunition around. They fire at a semi-auto rate of 2 shots/sec._

 **Small-Bore AZ20mm Laser Machinegun:** _It is located on the underbelly at the bottom of the Shock Cannon in a forward locked position. Very accurate when the Tiger's standing still, its fixed mount means that the Tiger's running motion severely drops its accuracy when on the move. Still, it's a nice little number to add some continuous fire to the situation, at 15 small, anti-Zoid laser bolts per second._

 **AZ208mm 3-Barreled Shock Cannon:** _Mounted under the chest and locked in a forward facing position. Each barrel is approximately 208mm. This sucker hurts badly, considering the large caliber and the anti-Zoid designation. It is, however quite inaccurate unless you're standing perfectly still, and even then features a slow firing rate of one shell per barrel, per second._

 **AZ30mm Double-barreled Beam Cannon:** _Mounted on the back of the Saber Tiger with a little bit of horizontal pivoting aside from it's normal forward facing position. It's standard, all-around weaponry that serves the Tiger well as a primary cannon, especially since each beam hits like an AZ50mm cannon shell, and they fire fairly quickly, at three shots per second per barrel._

 **3-Shot Surface-To-Surface Missile Pod:** _Mounted on top of the AZ30mm Beam Cannon is a missile pod with 3 standard missiles. They are capable of limited heat targeting if the pilot takes the time for a visual lock. Due to their speed they are best used against ground targets._

 **Composite Sensor Unit:** _Located on the left side of the AZ30mm Beam Cannon on the back is an advanced sensory unit. It uses 3D mapping, and a laser searcher to locate stealth Zoids. While it's not the most comprehensive equipment on the market, it's certainly better than nothing._

 **TEZ 20mm Linear Laser Gun:** _Mounted on the either side of the stubby tail of the Saber Tiger in a rear-facing position they can aim pretty much wherever the tail can point. They fire semi-automatic laser blasts, each hitting like a 20mm armor-piercing bullet. Not all that powerful, but they get the job done._

 **Special Armaments:**

 **VM-22 Twin Assault Rifles:** _The modification installs a single large assault rifle onto the top of the shoulders of the Saber Tiger that are capable of firing fifteen AZ47mm rifle rounds per second each. This allows for a heavy spray of fire against anything approaching from the front, but the guns are fixed, and thus cannot move. Because they are rifles, the range of these rifles is roughly 1500 meters, and each rifle sports a long rang scoping device that allows it to fire accurately and effectively at that range. Of course, at that range, the recoil of fifteen rounds a second will throw off the accuracy, so the assault files can be switched to burst mode, which allows them to fire three rounds in one quarter of a second, but then restricts it from firing for three quarters of a second to realign the rifle. Also included is an advanced targeting system that allows the Saber Tiger to make lead predictions and more efficiently and effectively fire upon Zoids that are on the move. Also includes a manual mode should the pilot wish to aim the gun entirely on their own._

 **Special Defensive Measures:** _None_

 **Appearance:** _Has the default look of an ordinary Saber Tiger. It has a very deep yellow paint job, giving it an almost dirty yellow glow in bright sunlight._

 **~ o ~**

 **Pilot Name:** _Damien Stein_

 **Assigned Starter Zoid:** _Command Wolf AC Model_

 **Standard Equipment for the** _Command Wolf:_

 **Electron Bite Fangs:** _Rows of razor-sharp alloy teeth line the Command Wolf's strong jaws. They can be charged up with electric energy for a lot of shocking electrical damage to go along with the physical damage. Generally used as a last resort, this equipment delivers quite a drain to the Command Wolf's energy supply. Be careful when you're using this, as the Command Wolf doesn't really have the stamina to take much damage if it gets caught stalled out._

 **Strike Claw:** _One on the end of each of the Command Wolf's legs, these claws have toes made of sharp, extra-strength alloy. Due to the wolf's small size, it's not recommended to use these unless you're quite certain that you're beefier than your opponent. The Command Wolf, like a real wolf, isn't designed for ripping and tearing like a Liger is._

 **AZ50mm Double-Barreled Beam Cannon:** _Mounted on the back of the Command Wolf on a seated turret with 360 degrees of horizontal pivoting and a little bit of vertical pivoting for aiming. Despite the low caliber, they fire fairly quickly, at a rate of three shots per second each, and are accurate out to a range of 500 meters. They're not sniper cannons, but they're more accurate than most weaponry._

 **Smoke Discharger:** _Mounted on either side of the rear end of the Command Wolf over the hips are a pair of dual-barreled smokestacks. When activated, they discharge a large quantity of thick black smoke, able to quickly make a large smoke cloud to cover the Command Wolf from the rear._

 **Infrared:** _Other than allowing the Command Wolf to see distinguishable heat signatures and see through it's own smoke there isn't much to this basic sensor. It works similar to the Stealth Viper's infrared, except that it isn't able to see through steam very well._

 **Special Armaments:**

 **DP-01 D4WG Rockets:** _This mod is a rocket launcher attached to the back of the Command Wolf. This rocket launcher holds four rockets in a bracket, feeding into the launcher one at a time. The D4WG rockets are twice as powerful as a normal missile, thanks to a larger warhead, but are sluggish as compared to the rockets found in flying Zoids because they move at subsonic speeds, but are much faster than just about any land Zoid has a right to, with the acceleration found on these rockets. It takes a full second to fire, meaning this weapon can unload all of its rockets in one round, with some minimal time to spare._

 **Special Defensive Measures:** _None_

 **Appearance:** _Looks just like a stock Command Wolf with the usual deep blue paint job._


	3. Chapter One: Trials And Tribulations

**(A/N): Still waiting for a few more submissions to complete the entirety of the team. As of now, the main roster is full but we are still in need of two substitutes. The team manager has asked me to inform you all that we are not accepting any more male characters.**

 **I'm taking this opportunity to call on FrostyZippo. I wanted to speak to you about your submission but the lack of an account makes it impossible for me to do so. If you are reading this, please get in contact with me as soon as you can.**

 **For those of you who have been accepted, go ahead and check the Zoids section in the previous chapter to see the Zoids you have been assigned as starters. Get familiar with them so you too can join in on the fun!**

 **Here's our first official chapter! Special thanks to Cyberweasel89 for collaborating with me on this. There's no way I could've done this without her.**

* * *

 **Chapter One: Trials And Tribulations**

* * *

 _"Alone, you are mighty. Together? You are legends"_

 **...**

 _"So...Free-For-All Tournament huh?"_

"Sounds like a promising place to look for people to join up I'd say!"

 _"Are there a lot of people there?"_

I nodded excitedly.

"Haven't seen this many in a while; all the others have been a bit... **lackluster** ,"

 _"Did you already get the base Zoids done in the event that you find the pilots to use them?"_

"Already taken care of mom!"

She laughed whole-heartedly before looking to the right.

 _"Jin, she's already arrived,"_ she said.

I smiled seeing my mom gesture to my dad offscreen.

 _"That's great! Hopefully this one goes better than last year,"_ my dad said. He still wasn't on screen.

 _"Remember, use your intuition. A tournament can only showcase the current skills or innate talent of the pilot, not the potential or their learning curve,"_ mom said.

"I know, mom. I'll do my best. Dad made sure to teach me everything he knew about being a manager."

 _"Dann right I did!"_

 _"Jin, if you're going to join this conversation, at least come on screen for your daughter."_

 _"But I'm all covered in dirt and grease from working on that Shadow Fox!"_

 _"The least you can do is pop your head in to say hello."_

"Uh... Guys?" I tried to interject.

 _"But my hair is a mess, honey. It'd break Matilda's spirits."_

 _"You honestly think some mess hair would damage your own daughter's mood?"_

 **"Guys!"**

That got their attention. Mom turned to me and even dad popped his head into view of the camera.

"I'm okay, really," I offered with a smile. "Just let me handle this. I've already been searching for two years. I _know_ I'll find someone this time. You just wait and see."

Mom sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose between her fingers. _"Very well. Just be sure to pick someone good. Your team will likely follow you the rest of your career, either as your full-time team or on your resume for later. All my old teammates still come by for drinks with your father and I."_

"Don't worry, mom. I think I've got that handled."  
 _"Did you remember to wear underwear, sweetie?"_ Dad asked.

"Uh... hey, hear that? I think it's starting! Bye, now!" I hung up, glancing around for a few moments to see if anyone noticed the conversation.

Thankfully, no one did.

* * *

 _"A free for all tournament huh? Sounds like something I could try...but no one's gonna recruit me unless I pass the trials and show them what I can do,"_

I looked down at the rules of the tournament, sighing deeply upon reading the trial's requirements.

 **All pilots without a Zoid of their own must compete in time trials to show their skills to any managers recruiting...the trials will test the skills of any who can pilot the following Zoids:**

 **Command Wolf**

 **Shield Liger**

 **Saber Tiger**

 **Any pilots who cannot pass the trials will not be allowed to enter unless they possess their own Zoid.**

I shook my head in disappointment; this was beginning to feel like yet another trip wasted in hopes of finding a team.

 _"Guess that eliminates someone like me who can only pilot a Gogordos...no one's gonna use a Zoid like that in a tournament full of Saber Tigers, Shield Ligers and Command Wolves…"_

I turned back to the large line of people, clearly here to sign up to have their shot at getting spotted by managers. This was about the seventh tournament I've attended in the hopes of getting noticed...but when you don't have any experience piloting any of the "mainstream" Zoids, it was nearly impossible to even get a look, let alone an offer.

"Hey there missy, hang onto this and thanks for the quick delivery,"

I turned around to see the man who placed the order at the restaurant and once I processed what he said, I blushed profusely at his compliment. I had left him a good five minutes ago, but I must've lost track of time while staring at the rules and regulations. He seemed to notice my gaze and raised an eyebrow before handing me a large credit chip. I hesitantly accepted it; I wasn't exactly used to getting large tips for my deliveries.

"Something on your mind?" He asked.

"Just looking at the trial rules, a bit disappointed that it's only three Zoids they're providing to be tested," I replied with a sigh.

"Those three are the staples of most teams nowadays, not to mention the fact that most battles happen somewhere out in the desert," he explained.

I shook my head in disappointment before turning to him before bowing gratefully.

"Th-Th-Thank you for your kindness," I nervously stuttered.

"No, thank you for being a diligent courier...keep looking and I'm sure you'll find someone to take you on," he said with a smile.

My eyes immediately widened as he chuckled heartily. The possibilities began to flood my mind but considering my complete lack of experience with piloting the Zoids, let alone battling with one, I tried to keep it realistic.

"I would appreciate it...but I doubt any of them would want someone with no experience," I mumbled.

The man rubbed his nose and scoffed.

"You'd be amazed at what managers look for, who knows! She could use someone who's just dependable instead of an actual pilot!" He cheered.

I absent-mindedly smiled at his uplifting attitude before bowing once again.

"I'd appreciate the vote of confidence," I said softly.  
"What's your name missy?" He asked.  
"Rosalina Lopez,"

* * *

 _"Okay...so there are three pilots left to complete their trials and thus far, only three out of the forty participants have failed,_ "

I continued to jot down notes as they came into my head. Though I had seen thirty-seven individuals complete their trials successfully, none of them really stood out to me because they were so…

 _"Boringly average?"_

I shook my head, feeling the enthusiasm that brought me here begin to ebb away.

 _"I was so sure that there would be some interesting people here...I guess I'll have to head back home and figure out the next place to scout for talent,"_

"The next pilot to take to the track, piloting the Shield Liger is Wei Saxton!" The loudspeaker announced.

I looked up from my notes to see the same blue Shield Liger that passed the course four times before. I then looked closer to see a man climbing into the cockpit. I didn't have enough time to get a good look at his face, but from what I could tell he had black spiky hair and a pretty athletic figure and was wearing a black jacket. The cockpit closed after a brief moment and several seconds after, the Shield Liger came to life, letting out a loud roar.

 _"No one else has done that to start the day off...still, everyone's been so painfully average or below it that I can't expect much from him,"_

A pistol cracking through the air signaled the start of the trial. The Liger broke into a fast paced run, much faster than anyone else had started off. Interest began to build more and more as the pilot smoothly avoided each of the oncoming wall obstacles, showcasing just how flexible the feline design of Zoids truly were. This wasn't anything like the others; they slowed down their runs in favor of being careful and accurate. This one on the other hand seemed...different. After passing the wall obstacles, he approached the targets that he had to hit using either the forward mounted Shock Cannon under the Liger's chest or the large rifle that was mounted on its back.

"Manual aiming mode activated," announced a robotic voice from the loudspeaker.

My eyes almost instantly widened; the judges installed a sensor inside of each Zoid that would trigger an alert whenever manual aiming was enabled by the pilot, and this guy was the first one to do it in the Shield Liger.

 _"...Could he really pilot such a difficult Zoid and aim accurately at the same time?!"_

The targets, which were discs made of some kind of polymer that acted similar to porcelain when shattered, immediately sprang into place. The Liger didn't slow down at all and once I saw the rifle on its back move into place, I felt my mouth curl into a smile. A single shot to each of the twelve plates was all it took as the Liger approached its first corner. I was expecting it to at least scratch the wall but instead, it skid across the floor, reaching about halfway through the lane before immediately taking off into another sprint. The crowd began to cheer for the pilot as he approached the true test: hitting moving targets while maintaining speed. I glanced up at the clock.

 _"He has to make it across the finish line faster than the numbers 9, 7, 5 and 3 in order to be the best Shield Liger pilot at the trials...and at the rate he's going, he just might do it!"_

The Liger let out another roar as I watched the rifle go back to its default position. That could only indicate that he didn't intend on using the rifle for this part of the trial...which put him at a great disadvantage.

 _"That cannon can barely hit anything more than 200 meters in front of it...how the heck does he plan to do this?!"_

He approached the targets, which were again the same discs as before except mounted on a metal arm that rushed forward at a decent speed. Much to my surprise however, every shot that the cannon released found its mark and at that moment, he became the only pilot to have completed this section of the trial without the use of a back mounted weapon. He executed another skillful turn as he came to the home stretch: the agility leap. This was a test that was almost designed for failure; these Zoids didn't come equipped with a lot of the stabilizing features that standard ones do so it was very difficult to land without damaging the Zoid. Even the better pilots had problems doing it with the Command Wolf, which was a much lighter Zoid. Considering that this Liger had a back mounted rifle and it was the heaviest of the three, it was difficult to imagine him nailing this part.

Then he once again astonished me. Instead of running up the ramp at full speed, he slowed down slightly as he reached the start of the incline. Once he was about halfway up the hill, he immediately sped back up to maximum speed. About five meters before he reached the peak, the Liger leaped into the air, once again letting out a loud roar. I couldn't tell where he landed from the angle I was at, but considering I didn't hear the sound of bashing metal or the audible sound of circuits being fried, he nailed the landing just fine. He made it across the finish line without breaking stride. The crowd erupted into applause as the Liger stopped its movement before its head opened up to reveal the man. He stood up and respectfully bowed to the audience.

He was of Chinese descent, indicated clearly by his facial features with the exception of his nose, which more than likely came from a Caucasian mother. He had medium length black hair that was spiked with several bangs hanging over his face. He had dark green eyes and a skin tone just a few shades shy of cream. He stood at about 5' 9", maybe 6' tall. His body type was definitely athletic because I could see his muscle mass through the black t-shirt that was under-

 _"Wait a minute...he entered the cockpit with his jacket on, when did he find time to take it off and then tie it to his waist?!"_

He jumped down from the Liger and looked back at it for a brief moment. He muttered something before taking his leave from the track. I then looked back to the clock...to see that he had taken third place overall and had the best clocked time for a Shield Liger pilot today. I put a hand to my chin, smiling excitedly.

 _"Maybe today will work out after all!"_

* * *

After the exhibitions, it was time for the managers to interview the contestants in the panel room. I've interviewed several so far but none have really caught my fancy and I think it might be mutual. Some spent most of the interview staring down my shirt. I keep thinking back to that one Liger pilot. He placed third, but those moves he pulled off... I've always believed in quality over haste, after all. I'm hoping he comes down the line to me soon.

I finish with this contestant and shuffle my notes again. Idly, I reach up to adjust my blouse. Man, this suit itches. I can't wait to get back to the Hover Cargo and get out of it.

"Excuse me, are you Matilda Dae Kim?"

I nearly jumped from the sound of a young voice. Straightening my papers and hoping that it didn't look like I was groping myself, I looked up at a pair of dark green eyes. It was the Liger pilot!

"Yup, that's me!" I said with a big smile. "And you must be..." I glanced down at my papers. "Wei-"

"Saxton," he interjected.

"That's it! Nice to meet you Mr. Saxton!" I leaned forward over the table to shake his hand, likely giving him a nice view, hee hee!

He leaned forward and respectfully shook my hand.

"May I have a seat?" he asked politely.

"Please do." I leaned back in my own chair, gesturing to the one across the table from me.

He sat down and took a deep breath before looking at me, almost as if he were trying to read my very soul. I peeled back one side of my blouse like I was idly scratching at something. That should give him something to read!

"I've heard about your mother, Mary Dae Kim isn't it?"

I frowned at that, but didn't let it stay long before I was smiling again. "Yup! Rank-B Command Wolf pilot from the Guts Team. She's retired now, though."

"I'm aware, I watched a lot of her battles on the holocast growing up," he said with surprising interest

"Oh, nice to meet a fan of my mom! I'm afraid I don't live up to her skills. My dad was her manager though, and he taught me everything he knows," I explained, grinning.

"That's precisely why I'm here; I was looking for you but the crowd was too much for me to handle," he explained.

I leaned forward a little. "Not a people person, I take it?" I teased.

"More like I dislike dishonest scum which summarizes about 80% of the managers who are here,"

I felt my grin fade. Leaning back in my chair, I crossed my arms under my breasts, giving him a rather pointed glare. "And what makes you say that? I'll have you know that I know plenty of the managers here and I think well over 1/5 of them are pretty good people."

"1/5 of them don't know who your mother is, nor how good of man your father is,"

I cocked an eyebrow at that. "Well, that may be true, but it's not right to make wide assumptions like that. Besides, are you saying you do? Managers don't usually work in the limelight. Dad may be a mechanic now, but his work as a manager wasn't all that advertised."

He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I've spent the last half hour going to each of the other managers and all of them offered me a ridiculous amount of money to sign on as their ace pilot, not a single one of them were even half as friendly as you are...and I respect humility more than anything else, you apparently inherit that from your father because that's what your mother's former teammates said when I met them yesterday,"

He took another breath, his eyes now opening and locking onto mine.

"I'm not interested in joining any team that doesn't have a manager that truly cares for his/her team, that's why you're a cut above them all; money doesn't concern me, character does,"

I felt my arms drop to my sides. I wasn't sure what to say to that. Heck, I wasn't sure what to think! I admit, I felt a bit miffed at being wrong. But to be fair, I felt more miffed that my cleavage wasn't distracting him. So like I usually do, I said the first thing that came to mind. My impulses are usually hit or miss, but I rarely regret them.

"...So when did you find the time to take your jacket off during that run?"

He cracked a smile and shrugged.

"Is this the part where I explain my experience to you?" He asked.

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms once again, though not out of an attempt to scold. Instead, I smirked at him. "I think it'd only be fair. After all, you do have me at a disadvantage considering you researched my mom's old team."

He laughed softly and shook his head.

"I've been looking for someone to accept _me_ , not my skills or what I can offer to a team...which I believe I lack in because I had to try so hard to stay on target; I was nervous because I was trying beating Richard Gainsley's time to be the best Liger pilot," he explained.

He looked away for a brief moment and looked back to me.

"I did my research because I respected the true sense of camaraderie your mother's team had about them...and I saw her play the role of leader so once I knew she had a daughter, I sought them out to learn more about you,"

A felt my smirk even out into a smile. It was nice to find someone who knew the Guts Team for more than just their win record. Though this begged the question... "So, you know my mom, dad, and their team. What do you know about me, Mr. Saxton?"

"Thus far, nothing apart from your bubbly personality, the fact that you have the same almost... _motherly_ disposition that your mother's team explained and your attempts at getting me to observe your body...you don't need that to get a man's attention; your aura is more than enough,"

I smirked again. "And who says I'm trying to get someone's attention? What makes you think I'm not just trying to tease you for my own amusement?"

He smirked at me in return, still keeping his eyes fully focused on my face.

"If you'll have me, I'll sign on right this moment without a second thought...you're every bit the woman I thought you were,"

I clasped my hands, leaning forward to rest my elbows on the table. "Hmm... I suppose you should know some things first. I'm not interested in some prodigy or savant only focused on winning, setting records, or crushing the opponents. I'm twenty-seven years old and I've never even been kissed. I guess you could say I'm projecting a bit when I say I want my team to be a family. I'm not interested in watching my team succeed as Zoid pilots, I'm interested in watching my team succeed as people. If you only want to be a part of a team and just a team without everything else truly knowing a person requires, then I'll have to ask you to talk to one of the other managers. Am I clear?"

He blinked twice and much to my surprise, his face softened.

"I did my best to be the best Liger pilot because I wanted to show everyone what I could do in hopes of getting the attention of a manager who would treat us pilots like something more than just a registration number or a tool to win; I've seen far too many talented pilots be forced to do their best only for the monetary gain or the bragging rights...as a result of that, I can't promise that I won't have a powerful drive to want to win as much as possible, but I **will** promise you this,"

He looked me dead in the eyes, even more intensely that he has been for the past several minutes.

"I will **never** put success over the team, even if the money is from the Ultra Grand Prix itself,"

My clasped hands over my mouth hid my smile. I raised my eyebrows as high as they could go and imparted on him four words. "When can you start?"

He responded by signing his name on the paper in front of me. How he knew it was the paper he was supposed to sign I'll never know; I didn't see him break eye contact with me at any point during this conversation except for a brief moment where he turned away.

"Right this moment...well, if you have a Zoid ready for me of course; as you can probably tell, I'm a fan of Ligers and unfortunately, I'm not very well versed with any other type of Zoid...I know a Liger is a hefty investment which is why I'm not sure if you'll have me,"

His eyes softened and for a brief moment, he looked almost ashamed of himself. With a playful smile and a light, airy giggle, I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms, crossing one leg over the other. "Welp, not on me. But I'll see what I can do, hm?"

He looked at me with an awkward grimace, as if he was hesitating to say something.

"...The dealership here has four Shield Ligers left and I've spent nearly two months helping with the Wild Zoids trying to work up the cash to get my hands on one of them…" he said in an almost inaudible volume.

I tapped my fist into my palm like I was just remembering something. "Shoot, ya know what? You're my first member. I think some kind of dowry is in order, isn't it?" I shot him a playful smirk.

He recoiled and the look on his face seemed almost alien compared to the calm, cool one that he had before.

"...But-"

"But nothing. Now, I can't pay for all of it, but I can take care of the difference. You can pay me back by just being a good team member. Got it?" I winked, sticking my tongue out at him.

He blushed lightly and breathed out a thank you. He then suddenly looked up, as if he just remembered something.

"You wouldn't happen to have a Command Wolf in your collection would you?"

I brought my finger to my chin in thought. "Hmmm, a Command Wolf, you say? I think I might have one lying around. I think my mom said she used it once before but ya know what they say about kids and their parents. We never listen."

He looked down to his watch and pressed a button, causing a hologram to appear. He quickly typed what appeared to be a message and then closed the screen.

"I'm your first member today?...would you be willing to give my companion a chance as well? He wasn't feeling well enough to participate in the trials today but I assure you he's got talent, and he's a good person...once you get past the prickles,"

I swung my foot back and forth from where it was perched on my knee, my heel dangling from my toes. "If I can handle you, mom, my dad, and mom's former team members who always felt the need to hang around, I think I can handle your friend."

He smiled at me before pressing a button on his watch again.

"Come over here," he said.

A few moments later, a young man came through the entrance and made his way over to us. He had a hairstyle I didn't see very often...dreadlocks. It was black and stretched down to the base of his neck. His eyes were a light sandy brown and he had slightly dark skin. He also had an athletic body, his muscle mass exceeding Wei's slightly. He was definitely standing at six feet. He was wearing a black wife beater with a red skull on it with some army fatigues along with a watch similar to what Wei was wearing. His right arm had a black tribal wolf tattoo. A chain tattoo extended from his torso over to his right arm, stopping a few inches away from the wolf. He also sported grey boots and wore black gloves and a white headband.

He looked at Wei for a moment and then turned to me, looking quite nervous.

"Nice to meet you!" I leaned forward to offer my hand. With his height, he had an excellent view down my cleavage and I felt my smile grow as I noticed his eyes practically bug out. "I'm Matilda Dae Kim, Wei's new manager. Who might you be?"

He nervously cleared his throat.

"M-M-My name is Damien Stein...I'm guessing Wei r-r-recommended me to you?"

"Yup!" I chirped with a grin. "He said you weren't feeling well so you couldn't compete today and asked if I had a Command Wolf. I've got one, actually. My mom used to use it on the Guts Team. It's yours if you want?"

At this point, he was so nervous that he seemed to be having trouble coming up with the words to say.

"I-I-I didn't even get to tell you my qualifications," he stuttered.

"Damien holds the fastest time with a Command Wolf here...he's held it for the past four months and no one's been able to break it," interjected Wei.

Damien looked at his companion with a gaze half way between embarrassment and rage.

"Really, now? Well, you'll have to show me some of these moves with my mom's old custom Command Wolf. You can start as soon as you're feeling better. Welcome to the team." I smiled up at him.

After giving his friend another glare, he conceded. He sat down, finally calm enough to speak properly.

"Thank you for the opportunity...I won't let you down," he muttered, looking completely away from me.

Wei cleared his throat and looked to me.

"That's two members...I unfortunately don't know anyone else who's looking to join a team and something tells me you shouldn't count on the other pilots to come here; this town's full of people who want money and nothing else," he explained bluntly.

I scoffed at him. "There you go with that pessimism, Mr. Saxton. I've found that good things take time. But great things? They happen all at once."

Wei shook his head.

"I said in _this_ town, _not_ the one ten miles south of here, we would likely have much better luck there, where trials don't pollute the roster with show offs and greed driven parasites...we have four days before the tournament starts so it's just a thought Miss Dae Kim," he said respectfully.

I bit my lip. "I suppose you do have a point. Where are you two staying, by the way? I've got a Hover Cargo parked just outside town that has room. Hell, let's find a restaurant and get something to eat, too. I gotta watch my blood sugar, ya know."

Damien sheepishly raised his hand.

"There's a well known pizza place a few blocks from here...I was staying with a friend of mine and I still have an errand or two to run for her," he said.

Wei shook his head, looking slightly discouraged at the thought of leaving where he was staying.

"I've been staying with my older sister here; been taking care of her...but I can get changed and meet you all there a little later," he explained.

"Well, that gives me time to prepare your rooms. They're nothing fancy, probably half the bedroom size you're used to, but there's not much room on a Hover Cargo for living space," I explained.

"What's the name of this place, Damien?"

"High and Lopez Eatery...it's got a big yellow sign and has a Gorgodos behind the building so you can't miss it...I'll meet you guys there in about an hour?"

"That's fine by me," replied Wei.

"I'll see ya both there!" I said with a grin.

* * *

I arrived ten minutes early since I didn't have anything to get ready for. Granted, this suit is still itchy as all hell, but I can bare it a bit longer so long as I can get rid of these heels and this jacket once I'm inside.

High and Lopez Eatery was mostly empty when I got there. Not that it was an unpopular place, far from it. From the sign on the window, the place got orders to towns miles away so they bought a Gorgodos to make deliveries. Most people were probably just out at the taverns celebrating the trail and a family restaurant wasn't really an optimum place for a rowdy celebration between friends.

As I walked up with my jacket draped on my arm, I couldn't help pausing to examine the Gorgodos a bit. A basic Zoid, but it was nice and the scratches showed that it'd really been put through its paces by their delivery driver. I gave a brief whistle then walked inside.

The boy at the counter in front was likely no older than twelve years old. His dark hair and tanned skin made him look Hispanic but I couldn't help wondering why a kid this young was working as a host at a restaurant.

"Welcome to High and Lopez! I'm Juan and I'll be your host! Can I show you to a table?" The boy asked, grinning up at me.

"Uh... Sure. I've got two others meeting me here later, so... How about a booth, please?"

"Sure thing!" Hopping off from something, he walked around the counter and gestured for me to follow. As I walked by I glanced at where he'd been standing to see a box propped up.

He led me to a booth in one of the corners. With relief to be off my feet, I slid into it, a content sigh escaping my lips.

"My sister will be by soon to take your order!" Juan explained, scurrying off.

Huh. I'd heard this was a family restaurant, but... I assumed that meant it was family-friendly. Did everyone in the owner's family help run it? Shrugging, I set my jacket down next to me and unbuttoned a few extra clasps on my blouse. Lifting my feet off the floor I kicked my heels off, relieved to lose a bit of covering. Plus, those heels are just murder.

"Hello, welcome to High and Lopez Eatery. I'm Rosalina and I'll be your server today. May I take your order?"

I jumped a little. Wow, waitresses sure could sneak up on you at times! I turned to see my server. Sure enough, her name tag read "Rosalina" just as she'd introduced herself as. I couldn't help but be impressed with the place's choice in server uniform. A yellow blouse that was tastefully done to only show a bit of cleavage and a red knee-length skirt. She was wearing white heels though she had white kneesocks under them, an odd choice.

When I looked up at the server herself, I felt a whistle escape my lips. It was identical to the one I'd given the Zoid parked outside, but this one was just slipped out automatically. This girl was a serious knockout. I was surprised she was a waitress. With looks like this, she should be a model or actress. And not the centerfold, gravure, or adult kind. This was pure, classical beauty, not some porno sexiness.

Dark green eyes that reminded me of a forest stared at me with a gentle, soft look in them through a pair of round glasses. Her light chestnut skin was flawless and perfectly matched her Latina features. Dark brown hair, slightly curly, reached down to the middle of her back, where I noticed it was tied with a pretty white ribbon, and bangs that just reached her eyes. She was a little on the thick side with a waist that didn't match the ideal bottle waist but her stomach was flat and that padding really showed in all the right places. A tiny bit of pleasantly plump thigh showed between her socks and skirt with the same light chestnut complexion as her face and arms. Her short-sleeve yellow blouse bared her shapely arms and showed just a very tasteful amount of cleavage that cradled a jade pendant hanging from a graceful neck. Gazing at the assets showing subtly from her blouse, I sighed in relief. At the upper end of the D-cup range, I had an entire cup size on her, so I at least beat her in one way.

She stood at about five foot six and looked about 19. She squirmed a little under my gaze, a hand reaching up to modestly cover her barely-exposed cleavage. "Um... M-Ma'am? P-Please don't stare at me like that..."

I felt the sudden urge to hug her to my chest and kiss her on the head. For such a beauty, she was adorable! I shook my head to try and pull myself together. Like usual, I said the first thing that came to mind.

"So your restaurant delivers by Zoid?" I asked. She merely nodded, seeming to recover from her embarrassment rather fast. Still, a residual red tint adorned her face. "Who's the delivery driver?"

The girl tapped her fingers together, the pen and notepad still in her hand. "Um... It's me."

I felt my grin widen. "You drive a Zoid? But you guys deliver pretty far."

She seemed to brighten a little. Clasping her hands at her waist and rocking back and forth a little, she explained. "Oh, it's not that far... Not in a Gorgodos. I admit, it was tough to learn how to drive it, but some lessons helped. It's tricky to handle some of the rocky outcroppings at the higher speeds, but we pride ourself on our delivery standards, ma'am."

I felt my smile widen. She seemed to fidget a little at the sight of it. She probably didn't know I was a Zoid manager. "Can I get a drink menu, hun?"

She jumped. "Oh! Of course! I'll be right back!"

She scurried off and I turned back to my table, chuckling. I undid one more button on my blouse. Ugh, first thing I was doing when I got back to the Hover Cargo was get out of those uncomfortable clothes. The ring of a bell indicated that someone else came inside and I turned back to see both of my new pilots. Damien kept the same clothing he wore before, but Wei had changed entirely. He was now wearing a black button up shirt with sleeves that reached down to his wrists along with a pair of dark blue denim jeans, stonewashed for most of the leg portion. His hair looked like it was just washed; I could see some water sprinkled over it.

I waved them over, grinning. "You clean up nicely, Wei!"

He approached the table and smiled at me before bowing respectfully.

"My sister needed some help with some work so I ended up having to lift some heavy parts...hence my change of attire," he explained.

"Sorry we're a little late," said Damien as he took a seat next to me. I noticed his eyes glance down to my barely-buttoned blouse. I inwardly smiled at the effect I had on him.

"Did we miss anything?" he asked.

"Oh, not really. Waitress left to go get us a drink menu. You stay out of trouble while I was here?" I winked at them.

Before either of them could answer my question, I heard the subtle clack of some high heels approaching us.

"My brother mentioned you were a party of three, so I brought three drink menus," the waitress from before, Rosalina said as she walked up. She stopped when she saw the two boys sitting at the table with me. "Oh, they're already here! Hi! I'm Rosalina. I'll be your server tonight." She bowed to the two boys. I felt my smile growing.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," replied Wei, almost dryly as he extended a hand towards her.

Rosalina extended her hand to meet his, giving him a small smile. Her other hand held the drink menus to her chest. He smoothly shook it before giving her a smile.

"You were in the stands today during the trials and you were cheering me on...thank you for your support," he said.

 _"...He had enough time and sense to notice her face while he was moving at nearly 100 miles per hour through the cockpit of a Shield Liger? Just what the hell is this guy?!"_

I giggled at Wei's tone. He was normally so taciturn, but did I just notice some actual emotion in that voice? Subtle, but it was there. "Wow, Wei. Careful or you may actually show some enthusiasm for once."

Rosalina's face lit up. "Oh! It's you! Wei Saxton, right? You were one of the Liger pilots! I can't believe you chose my family's restaurant to come to afterwards!"

My comment had the effect I was hoping for; he blushed and cleared his throat before nodding respectfully to the waitress.

"Thanks for tending to us," responded Damien with a nervous smile.

Damien had evidently noticed her looks, just as I had a few minutes before. Wei on the other hand, didn't give that much of an indication but for just a moment, I could've sworn I saw great interest in those eyes of his, almost as if he gave her a thorough look before averting his attention back to some random space behind me. Wei took the three menus from her and handed each of us one as he began to read it through.

"Wait...you two are pilots...does that mean you're a manager? It would sort of explain that nice lady's suit you're wearing..." asked Rosalina.

I grinned. "You bet! I'm Matilda Dae Kim, and I'm Wei and Damien's manager."

Rosalina lit up at my last name. "Dae Kim? Are you related to Mary Dae Kim or Jin Dei Kim?"

My grin widened. "They're my parents. You know them?"

She nearly bounced up and down in giddiness. "Team Guts ranked B at the end of Season 12! Mrs. Dae Kim has been advertising and marketing Zoid materials for years ever since, and her husband is an amazing mechanic!"

Huh. Not many people really paid attention to my parents after their retirement. At least, they didn't recognize their work when they saw it. Much to my surprise, Wei shuffled down in his seat to give Rosalina some room; even he could tell that she would be here a while considering how much she was gushing over this topic.

Rosalina slid into the booth next to Wei, practically pressing against his side in her excitement. "You're managing a team like Mr. Dae Kim? And these two are your pilots?"

"So far. We're getting Wei a Liger. Damien here is getting my mom's old Command Wolf," I explained.

I swear, I saw her eyes get as big as saucers. She stared at Damien like a puppy begging for a pat on the head. "You're piloting... You're piloting... You're piloting..."

"Yeah I am, didn't think I was going to find a manager today considering I didn't participate thanks to that cold I caught earlier this week," he replied scratching the back of his head.

"Hang on, let's not talk about only us. Rosalina, you drive that Gorgodos outside, don't you? You're a pilot, too," I interjected.

She clamped up, almost seeming to shrink in on herself. "Oh, I'm... I'm not a pilot. I'm just a delivery girl..."

It was as if Wei sensed her fading emotions and broke out of his gaze towards the air behind me. He clasped his hands together and shook his head before closing his eyes.

"The Gorgodos isn't an easy Zoid to understand, let alone pilot for miles at a time because I'm sure this place is popular considering all the items on the menu… you should give yourself more credit… especially with all the Wild Zoids that lurk outside this town," he interjected.

His tone was…quite gentle. Nothing at all like I had heard before and if he hadn't said it, I don't think I'd have thought him capable of such an encouraging voice.

A deep blush spread across Rosalina's face. She didn't seem to know what to say. Was she not used to compliments, or something? Granted, it was fairly... robotic praise. But if she knew how Wei normally was, she'd know it was big stuff coming from him.

"There's a lot of rocky outcroppings, Wild Zoids, and bandits out there. You need some skill to maneuver around it all," I agreed.

Damien merely nodded his agreement. I think he was distracted by the two ladies here, hee hee!

Wei then turned to her, his face serious but soft enough to not be at all intimidating.

"It sounds like you've always wanted to be a Zoid pilot, the kind that competes...am I right?" he asked.

"I..." She seemed at a loss for words. "I'm... not actually sure what I want. I wash dishes, wait tables, and run deliveries for my parents' restaurant, but... I don't enjoy any of that. Not really. I like piloting the Gorgodos my parents got, but I think it's because it's about the only challenging thing I do all day. I get to move fast, control something difficult... it's invigorating."

"So...you like piloting Zoids because...it gives you a thrill?" asked Damien.

"Well..." She gazed down at the table and rubbed the back of her head. "I mean... it's scary, yeah, but... It's fun. I don't get to raise my heart rate much washing dishes."

Wei blinked several times and looked towards the ceiling, as if in thought. After a couple seconds, he looked at her again.

"Have you ever thought about getting a Zoid of your own and practicing? See if you can place in the trials?" he asked.

She blushed at the idea, waving her hands frantically. "No, no, no... My parents could barely afford the Gorgodos I use for my deliveries, and even that was a risk because we'd never delivered before! I can't afford a more combat capable Zoid. Oh, and I barely have time to practice because my parents keep me busy... Oh, and I could hardly leave my parents to participate in Zoid battling..."

I leaned forward, elbows on the table as I stared down the server with a warm, encouraging smile. "Rosalina, I'm sure you know how hard it is to pilot a Zoid. After all, you do it yourself. I know you think you have a place and that you can't leave it, but... Have you ever spoken to your family about this?"

"I honestly didn't even consider it until now..." She explained.

"Well, I'm a manager, ya know. It's in my blood. I know potential when I see it and I always trust my gut on things. You're a hard worker, I can tell. The reason you don't like waiting tables is because you're not being challenged, right? Well... Leave the Zoid to me and I can give you all the challenge you want."

"You heard tha chica, get your ass outta here!"

Well, either that was a sign from above or someone here was an encouraging family member! Rosalina sighed. Seemed I was right on the latter.

"I see the way you stare at those Zoids at the dealership whenever you go there to deliver? And you think you hide those magazines very well under your dresser? Nuh uh hermana!"

Rosalina yelled something back to the boy. I didn't catch it since it was in Spanish, but... I think I heard the word brother and the name Jose? And... huh, _puto_? That word sounded familiar...

"That wasn't nice to say...didn't think someone with such great manners had such a dirty mouth," interjected Wei.

Rosalina clapped her hands to her mouth, her face ten shades of red. I couldn't help bursting out into a long, uproarious laughter.

"...You know Spanish Wei?" asked Damien.  
"Japanese and French as well," he replied solemnly.

Rosalina seemed to be stammering for some defense, like a child with their hand caught in the cookie jar. I was laughing too hard to give an intelligent response, but I think I saw Damien give his friend a quizzical look.

The sound of footsteps filled the air and within a few moments, a man with almost the exact same skin tone as Rosalina approach the table.

"It's been a long time since I've seen my little sister sit with some guests, so go ahead and give me your orders and I'll get em to you," he said.

The man then placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"I'm Jose Lopez, the eldest of the seven children," he explained.

Wei once again offered a hand. Jose looked at him for a moment before snapping his fingers and smiling.

"You're the man who clocked the best time ever in a Shield Liger right?" he asked, shaking his hand.  
"...Yes," replied Wei.

He didn't seem very enthused about his achievement, evidently seeing it as something noteworthy.

"My sister was going crazy for you in the crowd, guessing you now know that she really into all that stuff now eh?" he continued.

Wei nodded absent-mindedly as Jose turned to Damien, completely ignoring his sister's beet red face.

"And you're the kid that absolutely killed it on the Command Wolf a couple months back!" he said.

Damien laughed and nodded before shaking his hand. Jose then looked at his sister and flicked her in the forehead.

"The hell you still doing here hermana?"

He then turned to me. Much to my amusement, he let out a loud wolf whistle and a hearty chuckle.

"That's your manager? You lucky little bastards! Pleasure to meet you...Miss?" he began.

"Matilda Dae Kim. It's a pleasure." I leaned forward to shake his hand. Didn't really need to, considering I had only about two buttons done, but you can never do enough to mess with people.

"Matilda Dae Kim? Of the Dae Kims? From the Guts Team?"

I grinned. "My reputation precedes me."

 _"And now I'm beginning to feel like a celebrity!"_

Jose grabbed his sister's shoulder and shook her back and forth roughly. "You gotta do this! You know who these people are! Better than me, in fact!"

"I... Uh, I..." Her voice was trembling. Not from nerves. Her brother was still shaking her.

"I wouldn't mind having her around, it'd be nice to have another person who has fun doing this," interjected Damien.

I looked to Wei, who was looking out of the window, completely uninterested in the conversation. I snickered to myself.

"And I'm sure Wei would enjoy having her around even more, _right_ Mr. Saxton?" I added, leaning in towards Wei to waggle my eyebrows at him.

He rolled his eyes, blushing deeply but he didn't turn away from my words.

"It would be good to have someone who's enthusiastic about the sport on the team yes...but there's the matter of her actually going; I'm sure her parents wouldn't be alright with her just leaving like that, especially to do a sport as dangerous as Zoid Battling" he explained.

Deflecting the teasing to a logical reason… why do I get the feeling this is the first of probably millions of times he was gonna do this.

"Well, if her parents agree, I'm happy to take her under my wing. I'm sure it'd even be great advertising for High and Lopez. After all, my mother is an advertiser and marketer, and having a daughter in Zoid battles would put the eatery under her jurisdiction..." I raised my hand and pretended to examine my nails. I could nearly hear the cash register sound from in Jose's ears. Turns out i wasn't hearing it from him, though.

A loud pounding resounded from the back of the restaurant and in came barrelling a somewhat chubby middle-aged man with a mustache and a woman of similar build in an apron.

" **WHERE DO WE SIGN?!** " He exclaimed.

He shouldn't have blinked because in an instant I had some papers and a pen held out for him.

"Here, here, here, aaaaand... initials here." Hey. I'm very good at my job.

This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Like I said... great things happen all at once.


	4. Chapter Two: Preparations

**(A/N): Well, didn't expect the story to be getting this much attention. I'm quite pleased with the interest so far. As a result, Cyberweasel and I whipped up a quick second chapter for you guys while we wait for our substitutes to come in.**

 **Also, to any of you who are still interested in submitting characters, those of you who are creating female characters, please send them to Cyberweasel89 in addition to myself; she's the manager and seeing as we're waiting for only females at this point, she's the woman you want to show this stuff to.**

 **Anywho, this is in preparation for the first tournament, so get your submissions in as quickly as possible!**

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Preparations**

* * *

 _"The most powerful weapon on Earth is the human soul on fire"_

…

"Good morning, welcome to Arnor Town's Zoid Dealership!"

I smiled at the attendant, who had rushed up to the three of us the moment we entered the store.

"In here, you can find specialized Zoid parts for any type that we have around the back, how may I help you today?" she asked.

I gave her a quick rundown, noting her name tag that read "Valerie".

"Well! I'm looking for a pair of Zoids, one that's specific while the other… I'd appreciate a recommendation!"

The woman looked at the four of us, noticing Wei almost instantly and smiling.

"I'm guessing you're here to buy a Shield Liger for this prodigy right?" She asked with a soft laugh.

I turned to see if he was paying attention and just like typical Wei, he was staring outside at the Zoid yard, his eyes likely pasted on the the four Shield Ligers he mentioned previously. The attendant scratched the back of her head nervously before turning back to me.

"Who is the other Zoid for?" She asked.

I extended my thumb to point at Rosalina, who was shying away from the attention she was now receiving. The attendant gasped before smiling at her.

"You're finally getting a Zoid of your own! I've seen you stop by the yard so many times to look at the Zoids but I guess now, you'll finally be taking the next step huh?" She said with enthusiasm.

Rosalina smiled up at Valerie. "I'm excited, but... also nervous. I don't even know the kind I'd like..."

I gave Rosalina a good stare, trying to gauge what would suit her best. "How about an Iron Kong? They're large and heavy-duty."

Rosalina shook her head almost immediately. "No... too slow."

Huh. She knew her stuff. "Well, if you want speed, how about a Shadow Fox? They're one of the most agile Zoids for their size. If you want something tricky and challenging, a Shadow Fox is a good pick."

She visibly perked at the idea.

"I'm afraid we don't have a Shadow Fox at the moment. They're kind of on the expensive side anyway," Valerie explained.

Rosalina looked out at the Zoids in the yard, her eyes stopping on one. I followed her gaze to a Stealth Viper. Huh. Weren't those usually used by crooks and shady types?

"That's a Stealth Viper. They're similar to the Shadow Fox in that they're mostly built for stealth and hit-and-run tactics. Relatively easy to use but they don't have the automated aiming systems that other Zoids use, so pilots have to aim manually. That makes them pretty hard to use well and even harder to master." I swear I could see her drooling. Or maybe that was just me applying my own humor to her reaction. Plus, the idea of this innocent beauty using a Zoid typically only piloted by bandits and scam artists... I felt my amusement swimming.

Damien seemed very interested at the thought of seeing her pilot it and surprisingly, even Wei looked at her with renewed interest.

"That's going to take a tremendous amount of practice… are you sure you want something like that?" he asked.

...Was that… _concern_ I heard in his voice?

"D-Do you have any parts in the back?" She asked, undeterred by Damien's warning. "C-Can I see the inside?"

Valerie smiled, likely as amused by Rosalina's reaction as I was. Even Wei cracked a smile, clearly respecting her courage. "I can open it up for you so you can get a feel for the inside. As for parts, the Stealth Viper is highly modifiable. In addition to its intended purpose of hit and run and stealth, it has plenty of parts to either make it more directly offensive or function as a scout or support model."

The heartbeat I heard wasn't my own. If Rosalina wasn't drooling before, she was now. I turned to Wei and Damien. "How about you two go pick out a good Liger? I'll go with Valerie and Rosalina to pick out some Stealth Viper parts. I'm sure you can find another attendant in the Liger section." I winked at them.

"Actually, I was hoping I could look at some of the Command Wolf parts; judging from the picture you showed me on the holofeed in your Hover Cargo, it's only got the basic armaments doesn't it?" inferred Damien.

I smiled. "You could tell that just from a holofeed? That's some eye you got on you."

He laughed nervously and nodded.

"I had one a couple years back so I've had a lot of time to know and understand them," he explained.

I turned to Wei. "Well, if you want you can go get your Liger on your own or you can come with us and we can do it together after we settle on Rosalina's Zoid." I glanced at Rosalina. The look she was giving Wei clearly said "please come with?" He put a hand to his chin and nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, but I noticed his eyes catch hers and for a brief moment, he was flustered with the same pink tinge I saw yesterday evening.

"I've never seen a Stealth Viper up close before… we can look at the Ligers last because I doubt it'll take even half as long as the rest," he replied coolly.

How he was able to regain his composure so quickly I'd never know… then again, breaking that composure was now beginning to feel like a favorite hobby of mine.

Turning to Valerie, I asked "Can you have another attendant meet Damien at the Command Wolf parts?" I turned to Damien next. "Or think you'll be okay on your own?"

"No problems at all on my own, I'll meet you guys at the Liger section," he said with a casual shrug.

He turned around and waved his hand in the air before walking off to the section he was interested in.

* * *

I was practically bouncing in place as we made our way to the Stealth Viper. I don't know why, but it was just calling to me. I'd once heard something about Zoids choosing their owners, but... Oh, I was probably reading too deep into this. I just felt the giddiness flow through me.

Valerie grapped a remote and pushed a button. My eyes widened in anticipation as the Stealth Viper lowered its head and the cockpit opened up. I felt a bit of hesitation as I gazed inside it. Aside for a Gorgodos, I'd never been inside an actual Zoid before. I couldn't help feeling a sense of worry wash over me...

"Don't be afraid," said Wei.

I watched as Wei walked ahead of me before looking inside the cockpit. Almost as if he could sense the emotions running through my head, he held out a hand.

My face heated up a bit, but I reached forward and took Wei's hand, using the other to hold my skirt down. With a gentle grip, like he was afraid he would break me, he helped me into the cockpit before leaping off of it.

"Lower the safety bar over yourself and press the large orange button where your right hand should be resting!" instructed Valerie.

Wei didn't let his gaze break away from my face. His face, though it was a little blank, didn't prevent his eyes from showing what I was sure was concern. I'm sure if it didn't embarrass me, he'd have gotten in the Zoid himself and given me a detailed recount of it instead of making me go through this.

I lowered the safety bar and reached forward toward the orange button with some trepidation. I glanced at Wei and saw him giving me a small, nearly imperceptible nod. With a press of the button, the Zoid roared to life. I let out a little high pitched noise at the feel of the entire machine rumbling to life. It... It felt good.

"Now, this model doesn't have an Organoid interface like other Zoids. That makes the manual aiming even harder," Valerie explained. I felt my heart beat faster at the idea. As much as I would've liked my Zoid to have some personality... I do enjoy a challenge.

"The Stealth Viper, by default, comes equipped with a 16mm Vulcan Gun that's on the face, Steam Vents which can create a large cloud of thick steam that makes the Viper invisible to infrared sensors and its standard fangs… though I don't think you should rely on the biting power because it's such a fragile Zoid," explained Valerie.

"It's fragile?" I asked, concerned.

"The Stealth Viper wasn't really meant for head-on attacks. It's a Zoid best used with strategy and stealth. It can burrow for this purpose and can even enter water. There's not really any armor additions to up its defense since this'll just slow it down. There is a force field that greatly enhances its defense called the XP-04, but it's really expensive."

I thought about that for a moment. Hmmm... "Are there any parts that make a Stealth Viper more, I don't know... _supportive_?"

Valerie smiled. I think I saw Matilda smile behind her. "The Stealth Viper can actually be outfitted as a full scout with the right parts. The ZM-05 and CP-04 in particular render it an amazing support Zoid that can aid its allies with radar and spotting while remaining hidden and assisting with anti-air and long-range support."

I felt a distinct warmth fill my lower body that I normally only experience when looking at those videos on the holonet. I... I wanted this. More than anything before, now that I think on it.

Matilda stepped forward. "I think we found our Zoid. Can you set us up with a ZM-05 and a CP-04 with this baby?" She turned to Wei, standing stalwart to the side. "What do you think, Wei?" I didn't miss that playful grin on my manager's face.

"I've read about those parts… The ZM-05 module is a unique missile system that fires infrared seeking warheads that are capable of broadcasting the location of anything they burrow into… and the CP-04 Attack Unit is a complete suite of upgrades that a lot of Zoids get done to move onto the next stage… fine choices indeed," he replied with what I was sure was enthusiasm.

I looked to Wei, smiling. He was really knowledgeable about Zoids... It would be nice to have him around, since I only know what I've seen in videos and magazines.

"It's settled, then," Matilda announced, clapping her hands once in delight. "I'll discuss prices and get checked out with Valerie. Wei, how about you and Rosalina head to the Ligers together?" That smirk... I'm starting to think I'll need to watch out for it if I'm going to be on this team.

Wei nodded before approaching the Viper and looking up. I pressed the button that brought it to life and it lowered back to its previous position. He held out a hand to me.

Feeling my cheeks tinge red again, I reached out my hand and took his. With my other hand holding my skirt down like last time, Wei helped me out of the cockpit. My foot caught on the edge as I was getting out and for a moment I felt myself falling, a small shriek escaping my mouth.

I thought I was going to hit the ground, probably on my butt or on my back but I felt a pair of strong arms catch me. I opened my eyes to see that Wei had somehow moved quickly enough to catch me almost perfectly into his arms. Even though he wasn't a muscular or large man, he seemed to be effortlessly supporting my weight. His emerald eyes looked down at me, concern now clear in them though his face continued to be blank.

"Are you alright?"

I felt my face light up like it was on fire. It was probably colored like it was. His tone was so gentle... A gentleness I'd never experienced from my own brothers, let alone a boy I only met yesterday. I stammered for something to say but only little squeaks and escaping air came out. Instead I nodded dumbly, wanting to both get out of his arms yet wanting to stay in them forever...

He placed me back on my feet before looking to Matilda.

"We'll see you over there," he said.

* * *

"Here are our Ligers! I'm terribly sorry that we don't have more to choose from; they sell quite quickly," said Valerie.

"Not a problem, would it be an issue if I got into the cockpit of each?" I inquired.

The attendant owner shook her head and smiled.

"To be honest with you, I didn't expect any of these Ligers to be sold considering how beat up they are...it made me think fixing them up wasn't worth all the effort because no one seems to want them," explained Valerie.

I made my way to each of them, examining them from head to toe and after a few moments, I shook my head.

 _"All the armor is intact...the weapons don't look like they're damaged and I'm sure the cores are in good condition, though based on the plates of armor that weren't present on the legs, these are definitely the models that do not have an intelligent Organoid system, probably just the animalistic part,"_

"I've seen my fair share of Shield Ligers and each of these are still in great condition, in fact, the green one is already battle ready once it gets cleaned up and gets some of its armor plates redone," I explained.

Valerie looked at me as if I were insane.

"You're very familiar with these Zoids I take it?" she asked.  
"My sister used a Shield Liger when she was still a pilot and she's the one who taught me everything I know… the knowledge comes from years of research," I replied solemnly.

My eyes hovered over the green Shield Liger and I put a hand to my chin.

"Are Shield Ligers the only model you sell?" I asked.  
"We had two Blade Ligers but someone came by last week and bought them both… some big wig CEO of a company that I can't remember right now," she replied.

I felt my skin crawl at the mere sound of it.

 _"Must be **him** … no one has a need of **two** Blade Ligers in one trip, he must be trying to narrow down the competition for his company,"_

I climbed up the leg of the Liger before pressing the manual release of the cockpit, not feeling patient enough to wait for Valerie to lower it. I then got into the seat, smiling at what I saw. It was still in good condition; nothing a clean up and a few hours with some tools couldn't fix back to pristine condition.

"Just Shield Ligers, huh? Well, if something defensive will keep you alive, I'm good with that." said Matilda.

More and more, this woman was sounding like my mother. She was expressing almost the same amount of concern I had when I was child and learning how to pilot my sister's Liger. I then looked to Rosalina, who was staring at the Zoid. I tried to say something, but for some reason, words wouldn't come out. I jumped out of the cockpit and landed on the ground before approaching the ladies.

Rosalina was staring at me with wide eyes, soft and shiny. Her hands were clasped at her chest and she looked like she was struggling not to jump up and down in place. I was contemplating asking her what was wrong, but a squeal silenced me before I even made the decision to speak.

"You look so cool in that Shield Liger! I bet you'll look amazing piloting it! Blade Ligers are overrated, I've always loved the old videos of people using Shield Ligers! You have to be smarter with a Shield Liger because you can't just rush in and attack like with a Blade Liger! It'd just be perfect for you, Wei!"

I couldn't speak. In fact, I could barely maintain my composure as I felt heat rush to my cheeks. Right now, I was positive that I looked like a tomato and upon glancing at Matilda, her smirk let me know that I was right. Not wanting to embarrass the girl, I let out a heavy breath and looked at her.

"...Thanks Rosalina," I stuttered.

The color red tinted her cheeks, though her smile remained. It even showed in her eyes. She clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward a little to gaze up at me over her glasses. "You're welcome, Wei." I idly noted the placement of the neckline of her white sun dress.

 _"...Better keep my eyes to myself from now on,"_

I looked to Valerie.

"Do you have a lot of parts on hand for the Shield Liger?" I inquired.

"Not too many, but since your manager suggested to make it as durable as possible, I would suggest-" she began.

"Not necessary, I was only curious; the Liger has everything that I need for now considering this is not the DCJ model," I said folding my arms.

"I'm afraid a DCJ upgrade is outside my price range at the moment," Matilda lamented. "But hopefully we can see if any tournaments in the future have it as a prize."

"The tournament in four days gives us a total of three prizes: a brand new Saber Tiger, three hundred thousand credits and a complete upgrade package to one of the team's Zoids… but I believe it should be used on Rosalina's Stealth Viper; I can handle myself on the Liger until we can afford the DCJ upgrade," I explained.

"No!" Rosalina spoke up. "I'm already happy with my loadout. I can't wait to try it out! You've been piloting Ligers for a while, haven't you? We need to get you a better Liger. Without a DCJ upgrade, most of the commercial parts won't fit it, right? This is higher priority than any other parts or an upgrade for the Viper."

She stared into my eyes, an unusual determination in their softness that showed me she wasn't budging on this.I felt my heart soften at the gaze, but at the moment, my concern for her was much greater; she was the only one who wouldn't have any previous piloting experience, let alone battle experience. For once, I had to be firm.

"The reason I'm saying this is because Damien and I already have both piloting and combat experience, you have **neither** and after reading about the Stealth Viper in detail a few weeks ago, I've already made note if it's strengths and weaknesses… an upgrade to the King Cobra would put all my worries at ease in that regard, what do you think Matilda?" I explained as level-headedly as I could.

"Sorry, Wei, I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Rosalina here. It's because you have piloting and combat experience that your upgrade is higher priority. Upgrading her Stealth Viper to a King Cobra so soon is pretty much skipping an entire step. She should get experience with the Stealth Viper on its own first. The parts we got should help, but by the time we can afford an upgrade she should have a good enough feel of it to help the upgrade progress smoo-"

"I'll practice! A lot! I'll work really hard! I promise!" squealed Rosalina.

Feeling defeated… I let out an audible sigh and nodded.

"As you wish," I said.

I pointed at the green Liger.

"That one is in the best condition and I believe it'll be completely battle ready with just a couple hours of maintenance and elbow grease," I said.

Before I could say another word, an extremely loud explosion filled the air. Matilda whipped her head in the direction of the blast while Rosalina jumped and stepped behind me like a human shield. The hand on my arm was nice, though…

"The sounded like it came from outside the walls… could the town guard be in trouble?" inferred Valerie.

"That sounded like an explosion coming from a railgun… can only be the Wild Zoids that have been acting up as of late," I explained.

I looked to Matilda.

"Is your Command Wolf battle ready?" I asked.

Matilda crossed her arms. "It could use a bit of tuning since it hasn't fought in a while, but yes it's fully capable of a fight."

I quickly tapped the button on my watch to get Damien.

"Head to the Hover Cargo right now and take the Wolf to the entrance of the town!" I pleaded.  
 _"It's Wild Zoids, the loudspeaker over here just announced it! On the way!"_ He replied.

I then looked to Valerie.

"Is there ammo loaded into the Shield Liger?" I asked.  
"No, none at all," she replied.

I cursed under my breath but shook my head; now was not the time to be thinking of certain safety.

"I'm taking the Liger out there and helping the guard," I stated.

"Are you out of your mind Wei? You have no ranged weapons and this thing doesn't look like it can take much of a beating, it's too dangerous," snapped Matilda.

I gave her an intense glare, which silenced her almost immediately; there was nothing she could do to change my mind. I then felt a hand grasp mine. I looked to see it was Rosalina, staring up at me with wide, soft eyes.

"Wei? I'm scared..."

Knowing that the girl was likely having a heart attack, I turned to her and held her hand.

"It's gonna to be alright," I said.

"Not for me... For you. Will you be okay?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It was taking quite a bit of willpower to conjure a lie; the Liger had no ammo for its ranged weapons which meant that I would have to use a melee only combat style, something I was sure it wasn't quite ready for. Still… I can't sit here and do nothing. So I did the next best thing.

"I'd feel a lot safer if you came with me… I'd appreciate someone watching my back and keeping an eye on the secondary systems while all of this is going on," I said.

"I've never piloted a Stealth Viper, but... I can try."

Of course she was thinking of acting as actual backup, even though she had no idea how to pilot the Viper. I shook my head and offered her a smile.

"Not in your own Zoid, in the Liger," I corrected.

Her face lit up like a red light. She tapped her fingers together, shuffling her feet nervously. "I-Isn't it... cramped in there?

I felt a blush completely overtake my face as I tried to process what she just said. For a moment, I completely forgot that the Liger had a second seat behind the pilot's.

"... **Please** ,"

Her nervousness seemed to fade... Either that or she was hiding it. And I'm honestly not sure which was more impressive. Her legs spread to take a more stable stance, her hands clenched. It looked like she was about to say something, but then stopped. Turning around, she seemed to be adjusting something, her hands fiddling with something around her chest, then lowering to smooth out her skirt. Turning around, she needed, her eyes soft yet firm.

"I'm ready."

I nodded firmly before turning to Matilda.

"Help Damien get onto the battlefield, I'll hold the Wild Zoids off for as long as I can,"

Matilda nodded. "I'll make sure it's ready for Damien." She turned to run for her Hover Cargo but before she did, she gave me a thumbs up and a wink, cocking her head at Rosalina.

"Good luck out there," said Valerie.

I climbed up the leg once more and got into the cockpit before placing my pilot's ID into the required slot. I hit the ignition and thankfully, the Liger came to life. I lowered it to ground level before offering Rosalina a hand.

"Let's go,"

Rosalina climbed up, slipping a little. I reached a hand out. With a slight red tint to her cheeks, she took my hand. No time to get flustered, though. Business mode now. I pulled her into the cockpit. She saw the secondary seat and for a moment I could've sworn disappointment flashed across her face. Before she could climb into it, I pretended to slip, jerking her dress a little to the left, which caused her to stumble into the pilot's seat, just behind where I was sitting.

Her arms wrapped around me tight, pulling herself close. I distinctly felt softness against my back. A lot of... softness. Warm breath blew repeatedly against my neck. My heart rate just about quadrupled, threatening to punch right through my chest cavity and make itself scarce. However, another explosion brought me back to reality as I reared the Liger back to its feet.

"Hold on tight, this is gonna get rough,"

Her reaction was to tighten her grip on me. Her hands grasped my chest, her fingers tightly brushing against the definition of my muscles. I guided the Liger, leaping right over the wall of the yard and began to make my way to the entrance… where I could only hope that we weren't too late.


	5. Chapter Three: Days Gone

**(A/N): Following up quickly with the next chapter. Initially, I was going to combine it with the previous one but then I thought this would work a bit better if it had it's own chapter name and a complete section dedicated to it.**

 **Also, question for you guys, and let me know either by PM or in your reviews. Do you guys want Cyberweasel89 and I to continue collaborating on this story? Some of you may have noticed the presence of two different styles in the opening two chapters and that's because she and I have been writing basically in unison. If you guys like it, let her and I know and we'll keep things mutual!**

 **We're reviewing submissions for the two substitutes so this chapter again, is meant to give you guys something to read while we complete the process. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Days Gone**

* * *

 _"The past cannot be changed, forgotten, edited or erased; it can only be accepted,"_

 **...**

 _"What the hell am I doing here...how did I manage to involve myself in this? Am I really such an idiot?"_

The radar's alarm began to go haywire as I immediately snapped from my train of thought. I glanced at the three dimensional rendering of the battlefield and cursed loudly. Even though the town guard and I had managed to take down the first wave of Wild Zoids, several of their Command Wolves were damaged enough to be unable to continue the fight. Counting me, only three Zoids stood between the town and the next wave of them...which looked to be a dozen of them

I glanced at the wreckages that littered the desert in front of me. The first battle had ended quickly but the wild Cannon Tortoises did their job by taking down the majority of the guards. Now, it was up to the three remaining ones and I to defend this place until we could get some real help. I took a deep breath before gripping both the handles tightly.

"Let's go Zaber Fang!" I shouted.

My Zoid immediately let out a loud roar as I charged toward one of the taller sand dunes. Keeping my eye on the map, I began to set up the stabilizers to keep the Fang anchored to the ground for long ranged combat. Though it wasn't armed with a long ranged rifle, I had already run out of ammo for the Shock Cannon, which meant that a melee engagement was a huge risk. If I used any of the beam weaponry apart from the gattling cannon on the back, I risked draining too much power to allow myself to retreat if the Zoids overwhelmed me. Now more than ever, I had to make every shot count. It took a few seconds of waiting before they finally got into view. My mouth hung open.

 _"Shit...there's two Iron Kongs among them and if I'm not mistaken...there's a Command Wolf armed with a railgun...I can't let that thing get near the guards or it could kill them with a single well placed shot,"_

I activated the targeting computer and adjusted my seat to reach for the cannon controls. I felt the stabilizers release and anchor themselves firmly into the ground, preventing the Fang from suffering too much recoil.

" _Alright Griff...short controlled bursts,"_

"Engaging enemies!" I heard on the other side of the radio.

The last of the town guard had begun their assault, charging forward in their Command Wolves and unloading anything they could on the Iron Kongs. Of all the Zoids there, the Kongs posed the biggest threat to the buildings and after rethinking my strategy once more, I knew that they had to be the ones to go down first. I aimed carefully and waited for them to get into range. Once they were, I unleashed three shot bursts of red hot laser at the hulking Kongs. Thankfully, the shots were actually connecting thanks to the easier time I had in aiming with the stabilizers active. I aimed primarily for the head because part of me wanted to examine the Zoids for anything I could use. Maybes I could finally make enough money to get my Zaber Fang repaired back to mint condition after this...

The radar suddenly began to go haywire again and I broke away from the targeting computer to look at it. It was flashing red and before I could process it, something struck my Zoid hard. If I didn't have the stabilizers active, I was positive that I would've overturned. I looked through the cockpit window to see that it was a pair of Lightning Saix. One of them must've rammed me at great speed as it was now fairly damaged from the impact. I tried to re-engage manual piloting, but another alarm caused my heart to jump. A missile was now heading towards me.

 _"SHIT! GOTTA MOVE!"_

I managed to gain control of the Tiger just in time as I pushed forward, causing it to leap down from the sand dune and dodge the missile, which shook the Earth behind me from the force of the explosion. Hearing the loud crash of metal meeting the ground, along with the now intense pain going through my head indicated that the worst probably happened. I immediately opened the status screen...to see that one of the hind legs was damaged in addition to all my weapons systems going offline. The piercing howl of a Command Wolf followed shortly after and I heard several missiles leave their salvos.

 **"WARNING: HIGH POWERED EXPLOSIVES DETECTED"**

I took a deep breath, knowing full well that the missiles were coming towards me. I let out a heavy sigh and closed my eyes.

 _"Looks like this is the end for me..."_

* * *

 _"Welcome to Arnor Town's Free For All Singles Tournament! Please give our pilots a warm welcome!"_

 _I smiled in pride as I stepped forward, my Zaber Fang right behind me. I was quite proud of my Zoid considering all of what I went through with it. I could hear some laughs and upon closer inspection, I could see people whispering to each other as their eyes locked onto me or my Zoid. I knew that my Zaber Fang wasn't in the greatest of condition, especially since I had to attend the opening ceremony on the same day I arrived to town but I don't think it was a reason for them to be laughing at me._

 _This tournament was comprised of sixteen pilots, most of which came here from Reven City about ninety miles north of here. Singles tournaments were a rarity in the battling system because it is such a highly encouraged team sport. The fact that I got the chance to compete here was something I took pride in greatly; I truly wanted to take the next step on my journey: to find a team and what better way to assist in that effort than to win a tournament like this?_

 _The next week went on as all of the matches were played. I managed to advance to the semifinals but due to the damage my Zaber Fang sustained during my last match, I was forced to swap the standard cannon out for a manual aiming model. That was the first time I had to replace a part on my Zoid...and probably the first time I ever felt like I was in danger. The participants were probably above the others in terms of skill. No one in Arnor Town had as much experience as these guys; most of them were a part of the Zoid Academy in Reven City or they were simply experienced veterans looking for a quick buck._

 _That very tournament would be one of the reasons I decided it was time for me to forge my own path as a pilot. I had no idea how far I would get, nor how I was going to fund myself considering all I had was my Zaber Fang and a few credits to my name, but battling was what kept me feeling alive._

 _It's what makes me look forward to getting out of bed everyday._

 **~ o ~**

 _The tournament went by quickly and even though the odds were stacked against me, I made it to the finals. I had managed to take on a Lightning Saix, an Iron Kong, a Gun Sniper and a highly customized Command Wolf AC model. Now...my final opponent was:_

 ** _A Blade Liger._**

 _Of all the rotten luck, I had to face the one type of Zoid I had absolutely no experience in battling. The battle didn't last very long, considering that the Blade Liger had a Shield Generator which completely negated my weapons, which forced me to employ the melee style. Needless to say, there was no way my Zaber Fang stood a chance against a Blade Liger in melee combat...but what followed after the tournament's end was something I had never once experienced before._

 _I received cheers. So many of the people who originally booed or made fun of my poorly conditioned Zoid were cheering for me. After the battle was over, the man who piloted the Blade Liger shook my hand, saying that if he didn't have that Shield Generator, the battle could've gone either way._

 _For the first time in my life, I felt like I earned the respect of my peers in something apart from being a mechanic. This was the day I decided that I wanted to be a pilot for the rest of my life. It was that day...that I decided to find my own path._

* * *

I braced myself, now seeing that this may truly be the end. Unlike pilots, Wild Zoids held no kind of remorse and now that I had taken down a great deal of them, I felt like I did everything I could. My Zaber Fang had seen the end of its days and even though I came so close to winning the tournament a few weeks ago...I believed I had done everything I could.

 _"Sorry fellas...looks like I won't be bringing back a souvenir to the shop after all,"_

The missiles flew closer and closer and I closed my eyes to await the inevitable...only to feel something massive hit the ground just in front of me. Before I could process what just happened, I heard the roar of a Liger. I reopened them to see that a green Shield Liger had somehow gotten in the way of the missiles and turned its shield on to stop the oncoming projectiles. It looked pretty beat up, almost as if it just came running out of the junkyard right into battle.

 **"Hey, are you alright? Can you move?"**

A screen appeared on my heads up display, showing a man with a woman hugging him tightly.

"No...my Zaber Fang's about had it," I replied.

" **My companion is on his way here, eject and he'll get you to safety,"**

This man...just saved me? Before I could speak another word, the second Lightning Saix rushed forward. However, it met its end once the Liger managed to get a good Shock Cannon blast onto its torso.

 _"He was able to hit a target moving as fast as a Lightning Saix with such a close ranged weapon? Just what kind of pilot is he?"_

"Who are you?" I asked.

 **"We'll have time for introductions later, get out of the Zoid and take cover, we'll take care of the rest,"**

The Liger roared once more as it broke off into a sprint, severing the communication link. I heeded his warning...but I had to make sure the Zoid Core for my Zaber Fang was intact. Much to my horror however...it was severely damaged and I knew there was no way I'd be able to afford getting it repaired. With a heavy heart, I ejected from the cockpit and onto the sand. I suddenly felt a wave of pain shoot through my right arm and upon examining it, it looked like there was a piece of metal wedged into it. I must've been so focused on everything else that I didn't even realize it pierced me. I suddenly began to feel light headed...but I had to stay conscious. I thankfully didn't have to wait long until I saw a...familiar Command Wolf running towards me. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I had seen that Zoid somewhere before. It reached me and the cockpit opened up to reveal another man.

"Oh no...you're bleeding, come on, let's get you to the infirmary," he said.

I shook my head as the Wolf lowered itself down to my height. I couldn't raise my hand to take his as I collapsed to my knees. He responded by picking me up into his arms and whistling. The Command Wolf lowered itself fully to the ground, its legs mimicking a dog in rest. He lifted me into the secondary pilot's seat before getting into the primary one.

"I'm bringing back an injured pilot, get a team at the infirmary immediately!" shouted the man.

The Wolf immediately raised itself back to a running stance as it took off back towards the town. More  
and more, I felt my head growing lighter and suddenly...sleep began to take hold of me.

"Stay conscious! Don't go to sleep!" shouted the man.

Everything began to sound like a blur...until I blacked out.

* * *

Matilda was pacing back and forth like a father in a waiting room while his wife is in labor... I know I'd seen my dad do that for my younger siblings. I admit, it was a side of her I hadn't seen yet. She was normally smiling, giggling, teasing, though quick change her mood. This was worried. Maybe even a bit frustrated? She almost seemed like she was repressing anger.

From where I sat in the waiting room chair, I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong, but she whipped to glare at me. I jumped at the suddenness of the motion.

"How could she be so reckless? She didn't have to jump in to help the town guard! She could've just left!"

"Because if she didn't, all that would've protected the town was three Command Wolves piloted by only intermediately trained guards, we should be thanking her because things could've gone far worse," interjected Wei.

He still had the sling over his shoulder from his dislocated arm. I couldn't help worrying about it, even though I knew it wasn't serious...

"Yeah, but it was her responsibility to help! She had to stay safe!" Matilda grumbled, looking like she might tear her hair out.

"Do you know her, Miss Dae Kim?" I asked, looking back and forth between my manager and Wei.

"I'm aware of who she is: the finalist in the singles tournament that happened a few weeks ago, she lost to someone piloting a white Blade Liger...but what amazed me was that she got that far on such a beat up Zoid; that Zaber Fang was in outright shameful condition," said Wei.

Matilda nodded in agreement. "I know her type. Reckless, always pushing herself. Likes the rush. It reminds me of-"

"Your mother," he interrupted.

Matilda just nodded solemnly. "I'm _so_ going to give her a serious talking to when she's out of the infirmary... Just you watch..."

Her words didn't sound very convincing. I had a feeling she was just blowing steam to try and hide her worry. The fact that she was this concerned over someone she didn't know was admittedly remarkable. I couldn't help feeling I'd made a good choice joining this team…

"You can stay with her, I'm going to check on the guards who survived the battle...there were two casualties and the majority of their Zoids are out of commission," said Wei.

He respectfully bowed to Matilda and turned to me for a moment.

"Please ensure that our manager doesn't smother poor Madison to death when she wakes up," he said rolling his eyes.

I giggled in response. "Yessir!" I mock-saluted him.

He gave me a smile before taking his leave from the room.

Matilda stood pouting in the center of the room, her arms crossed. After a moment, a devious smirk crossed her face. Uh oh... I had a bad feeling about this.

With surprising speed she lurched forward and was staring me right in the face. I felt myself gulp involuntarily. "So, what was it like being in the cockpit with Wei? I bet you were squeezing him pretty tight, huh? Was he soft? Warm? Nice muscles? Did you like being in the thick of the action under Wei's wing? Huh?"

I felt my face heat up. Memories of my hands grasping Wei's toned chest filled my head and I buried my face in my hands to hide it. Peeking through my fingers, I saw my manager with a cheeky grin.

"Ohhhh... It was nice, huh? Looking forward to trying out your new Stealth Viper next time? You'll be fighting alongside Wei, ya know."

Trying to recover, I nodded, though my face was still in my hands. " He was really skilled... Like he'd been piloting most of his life. He treated the fight like a mission... Though he, um..."

"What? Dish!" She leaned in closer.

"He... He kept asking if I was okay a lot..." I admitted, my blush deepening.

"Hee hee... Even though he was just two feet in front of you? That's just adorable!"

I covered my eyes again, wishing I didn't have these glasses to get in the way of my hands. "He was really brave, too... He jumped right in front of some missiles headed right for Madison... He got his shield up in time, but my heart was pounding the entire time."

My manager frowned at that. Standing up straight once more, she crossed her hands. It was funny how she could switch so quickly from a teasing sister to a scolding mother. "He did, did he? I'll have to talk to him about being too impulsive." I couldn't help feeling such a statement was hypocritical considering Matilda often said the first thing that came to her mind, but... I kept that opinion to myself. "Though... if he hadn't, I don't think Madison would have come out with as few injuries as she did, if even at all… so I guess I can cut him some slack..."

The small smile on her face spoke volumes. She was proud yet also aggravated. I could tell... I'd seen the same face on my own mother. It's that face all mothers make when their child does something stupid but also good-natured or selfless, like jumping in to stop a mugger even though they could get hurt.

"Am I interrupting?"

I didn't even notice the door open as Damien walked in.

"The town guard let us have all the wreckage except for the illegal parts like the railgun so we've got some salvaging to do...but how's Madison doing?" he asked.

"They removed the shrapnel in her arm and stitched her up. She should make a complete recovery. They're just waiting for her to wake up from the anesthetic," Matilda explained. She showed no reaction to us getting the parts. I guess she was more focused on Madison.

"Well...she's not going to like what I have to say right now; her Zaber Fang was completely destroyed during the battle, I tried to see if there was anything we could salvage but even the Zoid Core met its end," said Damien with a heavy sigh.

Our manager bit her lip. "I don't know how we're going to break it to her... If it were any of my mom's teammates, they'd be crying like they lost their son..."

"Indeed, I had a word with some of the guards and they agreed to put some credits forward to getting her a new Zoid; they owe her their lives after all...so I came to see if she was awake to let her know that," he continued.

He put a hand to his chin and looked at the unconscious woman.

"She's really good with a Zaber Fang, but her model was very outdated and it's been replaced with the Saber Tiger as the standard...considering that she did so well with something so old, she could only get better with the up to date model," he mused.

"...What about a Saber Tiger?"

I jumped, turning to see that Madison had woken up. Matilda was less surprised as she was annoyed.

"What are you doing up so soon? You should be resting." Wow, this woman was full of contradicting behavior...

Madison however, completely ignored my manager's words as her eyes were glued to Damien.

"Where's my Zaber Fang?" she asked.  
"Flowing in the wind because there's barely anything left of it...I'm sorry," he said solemnly.

Madison cursed loudly and sat up, not even remotely bothered by her bandaged arm.

"Damn it...what am I gonna do now? I'm nowhere near home to get a replacement...that Zoid was all I had left,"

Her voice stood on a fine line between sobbing and frustration. Matilda's face softened. Stepping forward, she placed her hand on Madison's uninjured shoulder, smiling down at the girl.

"Ever been on a Zoid team?" She asked.

Madison looked at her in disbelief before shaking her head.

"I can't join a team with nothing to offer in return...and I haven't even repaid the debt I owe to that man who saved my life out there," she said.

As if on cue, Wei re-entered the room.

"The guards are all going to be okay, is she-"

His dark green eyes immediately picked up on the now conscious girl. He approached her before shaking his head.

"What you did was insanely reckless...but a person who is willing to put their life on the line for others is something I can deeply respect, so thank you for doing what you did," he said.

She opened her mouth to speak, hesitating for a moment with a blush on her face.

"You didn't have to save me, why did you?"  
"I'm not going to stand by and watch someone I can help get killed; I watched you take down those Zoids with a manual targeting beam cannon...you're by no means an amateur at this and considering that you seemed to be on your way out of town, you did it of your own free will,"

He took a breath and turned to Matilda before bowing.

"I'm sorry for being reckless...because I saw the glare you were giving me ever since I stepped foot in the room,"

Matilda smiled. Stepping forward, she wrapped Wei in a hug, resting her head on his shoulder. "Just be more careful next time, okay? You saved someone's life, so... I guess I really can't be mad at you. I'd have done the same thing in your place."

"There wasn't really any danger to begin with; I looked at the shields and I knew I could get it up in time...the only reason I dislocated my shoulder was because the Liger's right hind leg was a little damaged so I couldn't dodge the swing from the Iron Kong," he explained.

"When did you have time to look at the specifications, Wei?" I asked.

"When I got into the cockpit at the dealership, just before we ran off to join the fight," he replied.

How he was able to bring up the display, memorize all of that information and then immediately deem the Liger capable of battle at that moment was something I had never seen before in an individual. More and more, I was beginning to see just how far behind I was compared to them.

Matilda already told me about how diligent Damien was when they arrived at the Hover Cargo for him to get the Command Wolf. He was able to get in and run out to the battlefield very quickly and considering that he was not injured at all from the battle whereas Wei suffered a dislocated shoulder.

"How did you know everything was going to work out? Did you even think before you jumped in there?" asked Damien.

"I would **never** have made a move if I believed Rosalina's life would've been in danger, so I calculated just about everything that happened in that battle with the except of the right hind leg's damage," replied Wei.

This man… just continued to amazed me. He showed complete fearlessness, great battle sense and amidst all of that, he was looking out for my own well being. Though it was pretty cramped in that cockpit, I didn't really mind because now I got a chance to see what it was like being in a Zoid battle first hand. The thought of it only excited me more and I couldn't wait to get to the practicing part.

Our manager cleared her throat and looked back to Madison.

"So how about it! Will you join our team?" she asked.

Madison put a hand to her chin.

"I… I'm not sure I'd be cut out for a Zoids team because I've spent most of my life on my own," she explained.

"So have Damien and I, you have nothing to worry about Madison," interjected Wei.

Damien nodded in agreement as I stepped forward.

"These are good people… Matilda gave even a novice like me a chance and from what I've seen so far, Damien and Wei are two of the best pilots I've seen around these parts in a very long time… you being able to get to the finals in a worse for wear Zoid means that you definitely have talent… I think you'd be a great addition to the team," I said.

I got approving glances from my team, especially Matilda who seemed to have that "proud of her daughter" type of look. After several more seconds of thinking, Madison looked to our manager and nodded.

"If you'll have me, I'd be more than happy to join," she said.

Matilda clapped excitedly and turned to the me.

"You guys get to the Hover Cargo and register on the Battle Computer, I'll take Madison here to get a Zoid," she said.  
"Yes ma'am," replied Wei.

After giving Madison a congratulatory nod, Wei, Damien and I left the room.

* * *

"So is everyone set up in the system?" asked Matilda.

"Everyone but Madison," replied Damien.

I nervously approached the large screen and reached for my pilot ID. After looking at each of my soon to be teammates, as well as my manager, I placed the device into the slot and waited for confirmation. It took a few seconds until a screen appeared, showing a Judge unit.

 **"Madison Griffiths has been accepted as the fourth pilot of Team Radical Dreamers, the team has now officially been cleared to enter all available Zoid battle competitions, Miss Griffiths, please input Zoid model number into Battle Computer,"**

I immediately typed in the number for the brand new Saber Tiger that Matilda just took me to get. After a few seconds, the Judge spoke again.

 **"All relevant registration information for Team Radical Dreamers has been authenticated and approved, generating list of eligible opponents,"**

The screen then turned white with a list of team names appearing in green text. Everyone turned to Matilda to select the opponent.

 **"Please select an opponent to register the first battle, the opposing team will be notified immediately and the battle will take place in nine days,"**

Matilda scanned the names on the screen. Going with her gut, she pressed one called the Rev Team. Her guy had often failed her, but she never regretted it. The Judge spent a few moments, clearly authenticating the battle.

 **"Opponent selection has been approved, the battle will take place in nine days outside of Reven City, battlefield A-50. Good luck to all participants!"**

The screen then went blank as I turned to Matilda before holding her hand with both of mine.

"Thank you again for this opportunity," I said gratefully.

Matilda smiled at me, her eyes bright. "Just do me proud out there, okay? You can thank me that way."

Wei cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention as an uncharacteristic look of concern washed over his usually blank face.

"The only issue with that battle is that it's five days after the Arnor Town Tournament, so we'll have to be extra careful during the battle to not get our Zoids damaged too heavily… else we'll lose by forfeit," he explained.

"My Stealth Viper isn't very durable... I'll try to stay out of sight, but I'm still _so_ new to this..." Rosalina said.

"I'll protect you, as will Damien considering we're going to have to be the ones up front," said Wei.

He then looked at me.

"Did you change anything about your Tiger's loadout that we should be aware of?" he asked.

I nodded slowly.

"Added a VM-22 Module to it, that's about it," I replied.

"Ah, the Twin Assault Rifles? Nice!" Matilda said.

Damien let out an audible whistle and smiled at her.

"You've got good taste in weapons," he said.

I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my head.

"It's about all I know well about Zoids… been tinkering with those things since I was a kid," I explained.

"Good to know we have a weapon specialist on the team… but now the more important task is to figure out a battle plan," said Wei.

I nodded in agreement.

"I'm not the best out on the frontlines because I'm much better at aiming than I am at fancy dodges and the like… so since you're good with a Shield Liger, I'd say you should be out in front," I said.

Wei looked at Damien, who nodded in agreement.

"None of our Zoids have any real way to extend their durability so you're gonna have to be the one to draw their fire, as much as I hate to drop that pressure on you," he said.

He then turned to Matilda, who had that same motherly worry on her face as the time I woke up from the anesthetic.

"As much as it pains me to admit it, Wei's Shield Liger has the highest survivability of our team's current Zoids. If he can take hits and draw fire for you guys it'd really improve your chances," she explained with a sigh.

Rosalina looked at Wei with her eyes full of concern. "Wei, I know you can handle it, but... Will you be alright if something unexpected happens?"

I knew that he couldn't make a promise for this; wild Zoids were to an extent predictable because of their tendencies according to type. Pilots on the other hand, were completely unpredictable, with only limitations being discernable from the get go. He closed his eyes and put a hand to his chin.

"I can see why you were so insistent on the DCJ upgrade now Matilda… but I'll handle it until we can afford to take extra precautionary measures," he said.

Even though he had handled the pressure just fine so far, the stakes were now even higher than before; he was fighting for a team instead of just himself now. It was one thing for him to save my life, because he was fighting for survival… but a mistake could cost us points, which we needed to really be successful. Though I understood Matilda's attitude towards the way the team works, in the end… points are what truly mattered when it comes to the ladder.

"Don't worry about it. Hopefully we'll find two reserve members soon that can pitch in if something happens. I can feel it in my gut," Matilda explained.

Wei closed his eyes and folded his arms.

"The next three days is gonna be a crash course for Rosalina and on top of that, we're all going to have to ensure that we have some level of synergy; it's what matters most when it comes to battles,"

"Agreed," said Damien.

Wei glanced at his watch before looking at Matilda.

"I'm going to go back home and stay with my sister for tonight, I'll move in tomorrow morning, is that alright?" he asked.

"Move in?" I asked, curious.

My new manager grinned. "This Hover Cargo has rooms for all of you. They're small, more like what you'd expect from a bathroom in size, but they've got beds and places for you to keep your things. Hover Cargos don't have much space for living, so I had to make do."

"I can show you to your room, Madison. I already set up mine," Rosalina offered.

"...Thanks," I replied.

* * *

I led Madison down the hall of the Hover Cargo to where eight rooms were lined, four to a wall.

"Um... The two on the end are Matilda's room and office. Next six down are the rooms for us and our reserves when we get them. The one on the end of the hall is the bathroom. We... kind of have to share it. I'm thinking of proposing a schedule for who gets the bathroom when. I-It's a furo-style bath, but I'm sure you can understand me not wanting to bathe with Wei and Damien... Heh," I explained.

Madison chuckled at my comment before smiling at me.

"So I take it that you're sort of… a housekeeper here? No offense intended of course," she said raising an eyebrow.

"Uh... I-I'm a pilot, actually." I rubbed the back of my head. "I've only ever driven a Gorgodos, but... I'll be piloting the team's Stealth Viper..."

Madison let out an audible whistle before patting my shoulder in an almost brotherly manner.

"A Viper huh? You've certainly got your work cut out for you; that's not by any means an easy Zoid to start out with… I can see why Wei said he would protect you in the battles because it's gonna be at least a month before you even begin to get the hang of it," she said.

I clenched my fists, smiling at Madison. "I love a challenge."

"And evidently the thought of Wei protecting you… your eyes didn't leave him for that entire conversation we had back on the bridge… I don't blame you, he's really cute," she said, winking at me.

I jumped a little, my face lighting up. "N-No, n-nothing like that! I... He-He's just... dependable. He's more experienced than I am. I can rely on him. Th-That's all." I don't know who I was trying to convince. Her or me.

She laughed once again at me, clearly not even remotely buying my words as she looked at me with a now serious face.

"Guys like him don't come around every day… I don't know a single person who would risk his life for me without even knowing who I am… he's a keeper, even though he's a little bit… robotic," she said putting her hand to her chin.

"He's not... He's just trying to stay strong for us... I'm sure he'll warm up once he realizes he doesn't need to always be strong, not for us," I explained.

"Any man who would take care of his sister to the extent he does is definitely something to respect in my book… anyway, I'll leave you with that thought; I'm beat and we've got a **long** day of practice tomorrow," she said with a lazy yawn.

She turned to leave… but paused for a moment.

"You should talk to him more… you know, when it doesn't relate to Zoids, perhaps his past or something… maybe you can be the one to break that robotic nature of his… I mean, he sure as hell doesn't **dislike** you...and I don't know if you've noticed it, but he apepars to be...suffering on the inside," she said.

She then looked to my wrist and snickered at the new watch that I was given by Matilda. She then tapped her own, teasingly sticking her tongue out before going into the room and shutting the door.

I felt my face light on fire. Covering it, I ran into my room. I'd come out when I didn't feel so hot...

* * *

"Hey… I'm back, how're you feeling?" I asked.  
"You worry too much little brother," replied Jessica.

I shook my head before handing her a cup of tea. She however, didn't break her gaze from me.

"I heard what you did for the guard today, that was really brave of you," she said.  
"I only did what I thought was right," I replied.

She shook her head and sighed.

"When are you gonna drop the tough guy act? You're with your sister now… not in public Wei," she said.

I sat next to her, holding my own cup of tea as I looked to the ground.

"When did you last hear from mom?" she asked.  
"A week ago… what about you?" I replied.

Jessica let out an even deeper sigh.

"It's getting more difficult to keep in contact with her thanks to dad…" she groaned.

The mere mention of that man's title caused my fist to immediately clench and my blood to ignite.

"Wei… you know it's alright, I'm over him," she said.  
"That doesn't make what he did any less cruel," I growled.

My older sister was much more forgiving than I was… but considering how much of her life to dedicated to her Zoids team, it was impossible for me to even think of forgiving him.

"I was the one who-"

I placed my cup of tea down on the table before turning to her with a very sympathetic look on my face. She responded by placing her own cup down and shaking her head.

"If I didn't mess up in that battle… I would never have gotten this injury," she stuttered.  
"It's a father's duty to care for his children… and him disowning you for making a judgement call that saved one of your teammates is something that I will always despise him for," I snapped back.

Even after all these years, she _still_ hadn't forgiven herself for what she believed to be her own mistake. After taking a blow meant for one of her teammates, it struck the cockpit window and though it didn't shatter it due to her Blade Liger's expensive components, the shock from the explosion was strong enough to jar her entire body, causing her to break her arm and fracture her leg. To make matters worse, the team they were facing was a notoriously brutal team and they did not let up their assault. This led to my sister's team losing the battle and her getting crippled for a lengthy period of time. The team disbanded at my father's wishes and after he took back all the funding and my sister's Blade Liger, he disowned her for "dishonoring" the Kennedy name. As a result, she moved to Arnor Town and started a new life. That was the reason I decided to forge my own path.

I left my father to his own devices to make my own legacy. He groomed me to inherit his company, which is the reason why I took everything so seriously and the reason why I took such a calculated approach to everything. Since I left, I found my sister here in Arnor Town and I decided to stay with her until an opportunity presented itself. And here it was… with Matilda Dae Kim, the daughter of the now retired Mary Dae Kim who was one of the inspirations for me becoming a pilot. I didn't expect to find such a promising set of teammates either.

Damien definitely showed plenty of talent when he's in the cockpit of a Command Wolf. He thoroughly impressed me with his control of the Zoid and his sheer accuracy. It wasn't a model that he had any time to get used to because it was already outfitted with whatever Matilda had on it beforehand, but he used it to full efficiency. There's no way we could've won that battle with the wild Zoids if he didn't arrive when he did.

Then there was Madison. I had never thought about meeting her; I had only heard her story and watched a few of the matches she competed in but from what I could tell, she knows her stuff. She evidently knows a lot about weapons considering she used such a beat up Zaber Fang to get to the finals, where she lost to a Blade Liger. A Zoid that old already has great difficulty in dealing with the previous opponents she faced, let alone a Blade Liger which was practically built to counter the Zaber Fang's lack of melee prowess. She looked like a nice person, though a bit tomboyish judging from the way she dressed as well as her overall disposition. Still… having someone experienced is never a bad thing so hopefully, we could learn to work together smoothly.

Then… there's Rosalina. The one who took me completely by surprise and for some reason I couldn't understand, she made me feel… wanted. It wasn't a feeling I was used to because the only other people who could invoke it were my mother and sister. Since I left my father's home, I hadn't felt a greater sense of fulfillment than helping Rosalina begin her dream to become a pilot. She had the attitude most certainly, but she definitely didn't do herself any favors by choosing such a difficult Zoid to pilot first. I would've much preferred her getting the upgrade to the King Cobra due to how much easier it makes the Zoid to pilot, but everyone already agreed to put my upgrade above everyone else's due to the fact that I was likely the most experienced one of us all. Still… even though I worry for her, I had the utmost faith that she would give it her best effort and considering how well she handled the battle today, she only showed signs of improvement as the days go by.

 **RING! RING!**

I felt my watch vibrate and looked at the ID to see…

 _"Rosalina? I wonder what she wants?"_

I looked at Jessica and cleared my throat.

"I have to take this call, so I'll see you in the morning," I said.

She smiled at me before hugging my head to her chest.

"Best little brother in the world… now go talk to that cute girl," she teased.

I rolled my eyes before leaving her room and entering mine. Once I was satisfied that I was alone and no one was listening in, I answered the call.

 **~ o ~**

 **"Hey… what's up? Something on your mind?"**

I sat on my bed, my knees pulled up to my chest. This watch was a bit tricky to use, but once I saw Wei displayed on it I knew I'd done it right.

"Oh! Wei! Um... Hi." Well, that was dumb. How could I be surprised to see him when I was the one who called in the first place? "So, uh... I just got settled into the Hover Cargo. You're with your sister right now?"

"Just saw her off to bed actually… you seem to have not turned on your own video, do you mind? Or are you not decent?"

I looked down at myself. I was just wearing a negligee that I usually saved for warm nights... He wouldn't be able to see below my waist, right?

"Oh, sorry. I'm still not sure how to work this thing. Ummm... Here." I pressed a button. "Is this better?"

For a brief moment, I saw his face turn red but he almost instantly regained his composure and nodded.

 **"I can see you just fine now… so what's up? Did you want to talk about something?"**

I nodded. "Well, you mentioned you were visiting your sister, right? She lives in Arnor Town, right? Is that where you grew up?"

He paused for a moment, as if he were in thought. He let out a deep sigh before looking at me with a now more softened face.

 **"I grew up in Polaris City with my sister and parents,"**

"You're from Polaris? Wow, compared to Polaris, Arnor is the boonies! I'm a country bumpkin compared to a city that big. What is your family doing five hundred miles from there now? Did your dad travel on business a lot?"

 **"You could say that I suppose… I decided to try my own thing because I was never very interested in family matters… though it didn't stop my dad from aggressively raising me,"**

I giggled softly. "Well, my parents were pretty supportive... The only reason they even started the Zoid delivery service was because they couldn't find anything for me to do in the restaurant. I kept spacing out washing dishes and waiting tables like the rest of my siblings. Still, the thought of me doing something away from the eatery didn't really cross their minds, so... Maybe your dad was just thinking of what was best for you, but was being a little shortsighted about it?"

His face turned almost to a grimace and in a flash, it was back to normal as he shook his head.

 **"It's a _lot_ more complicated than that… my father and I don't get along at all and I've done my best to avoid associating myself with anything concerning him… and it isn't just me that this extends to; Jessica also went through a harsh childhood,"**

"Jessica... That's your sister, right? I've never really left Arnor Town except for deliveries, so I guess I don't know what it's like to grow up in a city as big as Polaris... What was it like? Was it really that difficult?"

 **"Every lifestyle has its own difficulties… though I'm grateful for everything I've been given and all of what I've been taught, I can't say that life in Polaris was smooth sailing all the way through, which is why I chose the simple life of a Zoid pilot; the big city and the booming industry was never something I particularly craved to have as a part of my life,"**

I noticed a hint of bitterness in his voice when he referred to the industry.

"And what industry was that? What did your dad do for a living that made it so rough for you?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head.

 **"It wasn't his job that made it so difficult, it was the way he treated his family… it's the reason why I refuse to be involved with him and he's also the main reason why my sister is in the state she's in… you'd probably get very angry if I told you the full story… do you really want to hear it?"**

He sounded very hesitant, as if the decision to even start to tell this story had taken a significant amount of willpower. He was so cool and level headed that it seemed almost alien to see him not be so decisive. Straightening out my legs, I frowned into my watch. "You didn't actually answer my question, Wei. So yes, I do."

He took a deep breath and let it out.

 **"You have to promise me something… don't tell _anyone_ else about this… okay?"**

I simply nodded. "I promise not to tell anyone."

He nodded as if in relief as he sat up from his laying position.

 **"Alright...so it all began like this…"**


End file.
